Real Mallorca - All we are saying is give us a goal!

Real Betis struck in injury time with a goal scored by substitute Bakambu in the 96th minute from a sublime through ball from Isco (who stood out like a sore thumb as being the best player on the pitch), as ten-men Mallorca went down 0-1 to Real Betis in front of 19,452 fans on Saturday afternoon.

Real Mallorca remain without a goal scored in 2025 while Betis are still unbeaten in head-to-heads in the Son Moix since 2013. Out of both cups and eager to appease the fans, after a 4-0 gubbing at the hands of Villarreal last Monday, Mallorca failed miserably in their attempted comeback.

Betis arrived full of reserve team players with their 3,000 travelling supporters, and no matter how hard Mallorca tried, each and every attempt in attack which we mustered, the ball seemed to crash against the bodies of the Betis defence. Against Mallorca a direct rival in the fight for a European place, the visitors were guilty of flopping to the ground every time they went into a tackle and then did the compulsory rollovers. Indeed at one stage, they had three players in death throes, rolling about on the ground, then miraculously up and running seconds later. I lost count of the times I shouted out “Get up you tart !” If the truth be known, us Mallorquinistas were expecting something more special, but it wasn’t to be.

In a fiery first half, frayed tempers were the name of the game, especially for Mallorca. Local fans thought with Betis on the back of three defeats they were there for the taking. The visitors saw much more of the ball in the second half as play became stretched and scrappy. I wondered exactly how long in the 97 minutes played the ball was actually in play. Mallorca huffed and puffed without getting anywhere and couldn’t seem to get their composure back after the previous three bad results. Then out of nowhere, things changed dramatically in the 72nd minute. Mallorca’s Martorell went into a tackle studs up. A VAR review saw the Mallorca player get a straight red card. Tempers began to take over again as referee Alberola Rojas seemed to lose control of the game, as Mallorca got more and more frustrated.

Then Isco and Mallorca keeper Greif had a tremendous clash in the area and after treatment lasting several minutes the keeper was able to continue. With time running out, it looked like Mallorca had things under control as the fourth official put up the board – seven minutes. Then came the dagger through the heart for Mallorca. A world-class through ball on the right flank from Isco found the head of Cedric Bakambu and the Frenchman’s bullet header saw Betis snatch all three points at the death.

Things have now got a wee bit worrying for Mallorca, especially as they are finding scoring goals a massive problem. Next up we’re away at Atletico Madrid on Saturday at 18:30, very probably in front of a full 70,000 crowd. Just how many Mallorca players will make that game remains to be seen as several look battered and bruised and were limping as they traipsed off the pitch in a game neither side deserved to win.

PS The so-called “best referee” in Spain, Sr Gil Manzano, broke a La Liga record on Friday night in the 1-1 draw game between Las Palmas and Osasuna when he produced 13 yellows and one red card in a game that wasn’t even dirty!