Carlo Ancelotti criticised his Real Madrid side for having a lack of balance as they started their LaLiga title defence with a 1-1 draw against Mallorca on Sunday. 

Madrid took the lead in the 13th minute through Rodrygo's fine finish, only for Vedat Muriqi to level eight minutes into the second half. 

Ancelotti boasted an attack of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham, with the quartet all playing a role in the opening goal of the game. 

But Los Blancos struggled in front of goal, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 0.6 from their 13 shots, compared to their opponents' 0.96. 

Ancelotti bemoaned his side's defensive display, going on to say that his players lost focus after taking an early lead at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. 

"Today I am not happy. I think we could have been done much better," said Ancelotti.

"We need to be more concentrated, work better as a group... It's not a fitness problem, it was mental.

"I don't want to make excuses for anything. We had to do better and show more attitude.

"We can learn a lot from this match, it's a match where you can see clearly where we can end up having problems."

Madrid's draw saw them fail to win their first game of the season for the first time in six campaigns under Ancelotti's stewardship. 

The Italian suggested that Madrid could have easily lost the encounter due to their own mistakes and urged his star-studded squad to learn fast from their blunders.

"We started the game well, we took the lead and we had chances to score the second, but in the second half we lacked balance," Ancelotti said.

"It was a game we could have lost because we didn't have balance. It wasn't a good game.

"We are a very attacking team and defensive balance is a fundamental part of the way we are built.

"We struggled to steal the ball, to press after losing the ball. When we talk about defending, we are talking above all about collective commitment.

"The balance is found with the players thinking about the same thing. When we have to win the ball back we have to think about it all together.

"It's a problem for everyone, not the strikers, the midfielders or the defenders.

"It is a problem of a team that did not understand that this was a key aspect of the match." 

Real Madrid's LaLiga title defence got off to a limp start as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Mallorca.

Vedat Muriqi's second-half header for the home side cancelled out Rodrygo's early strike and denied Kylian Mbappe a win on his domestic debut.

Madrid started well and took the lead thanks to a fine curling strike by Brazilian forward Rodrygo, who was cutely assisted by a backheel pass from compatriot Vinicius Junior in the 13th minute.

However, Muriqi netted a powerful header from a corner in the 53rd minute to level for Mallorca, who had gone close when Thibaut Courtois fumbled a shot before the break.

Mbappe twice went close to restoring Madrid's lead, first hitting the post from a tight angle before seeing a low effort saved by Dominik Greif, with Johan Mojica making a fantastic clearance to prevent Rodrygo getting onto the rebound.

Madrid's frustrations boiled over just before full-time - defender Ferland Mendy shown a straight red for a rash lunge.

Data Debrief: Ancelotti's run ends

Madrid have failed to win their opening game of a LaLiga season for the first time in six seasons under Carlo Ancelotti, while this is just the sixth time they have started a campaign in the competition with a draw in the 21st century.

Rodrygo grabbed the champions' first goal of the season. He now has 50 LaLiga goal contributions (27 goals, 23 assists) in 143 matches, having also netted Los Blancos' first league strike last term.

Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid "cannot stop pushing" in their pursuit of Champions League qualification after a narrow 1-0 victory over Mallorca.

Los Rojiblancos tightened their grip on fourth place in LaLiga, with Rodrigo Riquelme's fine individual effort in the fifth minute enough to secure back-to-back wins.

With four games remaining, Simeone's side moved onto 67 points, six clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who they beat 3-1 last weekend.

The Atleti boss was thrilled by his players' performance levels, but has urged them not to rest on their laurels.

"The team interpreted the plan very well," he said. "The commitment was incredible from [Angel] Correa to [Jan] Oblak to play an intelligent game from a defensive point of view.

"After the goal, we controlled the game. We defended as a team and did a great job. We need to continue improving, and we can't stop pushing until the season is over."

Echoing his manager's thoughts, defender Axel Witsel told Movistar Plus+: "It was very important to win. We wanted to win and stay six points ahead. We have to keep it up.

"After Riquelme scored a fantastic goal, we managed to stay well-organised to secure the result."

Atletico Madrid closed in on a Champions League spot after winger Rodrigo Riquelme's early strike earned his side a 1-0 win at Mallorca in LaLiga on Saturday.

With four games remaining, Diego Simeone's side are fourth in the standings on 67 points, six ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who beat Getafe on Friday.

There was an end-of-the-season feel at a half-empty Son Moix stadium with both teams lacking urgency in a lacklustre match, with the only standout moment being Riquelme's fine individual effort in the fifth minute, which ultimately secured the win for the visitors.

Riquelme pounced on a loose ball in the edge of the box and cleared two defenders before unleashing an unstoppable strike just inside the right post.

Data Debrief: Mallorca's blunt attack easily stopped

Mallorca mustered an expected goals of just 0.24 in this game, and they have now failed to score in 15 of their 34 league games this season. Only Cadiz (17) have failed to score more often in the competition this term.

That is despite the hosts having attempted 526 passes in this game, their highest total in a single league match this season.

Atletico Madrid need to step up in order to secure Champions League qualification, head coach Diego Simeone said ahead of Saturday's LaLiga trip to Mallorca.

Simeone’s men are fourth in the standings with 64 points, seven behind third-placed Girona with five matches left. Atletico lead Athletic Bilbao, in fifth place, by three points.

They were knocked out of the Champions League after a 5-4 quarter-final aggregate loss to Germany's Borussia Dortmund and Simeone feels the Spanish top flight is also getting more intense with every year.

"We are thinking about the game, hopefully we can be in the top four as we have been these years, but it is more difficult every day," Simeone told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

"There is improvement in the other teams, so we have to improve."

Atletico have struggled defensively this season, having failed to keep a clean sheet since a 5-0 home win over Las Palmas in February.

"When you talk about defence, people misunderstand and think that it's only the defenders," Simeone said.

"The defence is a team and we have conceded a lot of goals because we haven't been able to work as a team."

The Argentine said his team will have their work cut out to claim all three points against 16th-placed Mallorca.

"We have a tough opponent like Mallorca... they work with a coach who I admire for his calmness and his ability to compete," added Simeone. 

"I admire those coaches. We will face a tough and difficult game.

"When the season is over and the accounts are closed, I'll be able to comment on how I feel and what I think about the objectives [since I took charge of Atletico]."

Aurelien Tchouameni’s deflected strike was enough to secure Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Mallorca and keep them out on front at the top of LaLiga.

France midfielder Tchouameni broke the deadlock early in the second half as Real extended their unbeaten league run to 25 matches and after arch-rivals Barcelona’s win later on Saturday night, the gap remains eight points.

The two sides meet in El Clasico next Sunday and Barca also remain in top form as they made it six straight wins in all competitions after Joao Felix’s first-half overhead kick secured all three points in Cadiz.

Barcelona were indebted to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for their win as the German goalkeeper made two crucial saves to deny Cadiz pair Javi Hernandez and Diadie Samassekou.

Antoine Griezmann scored twice to help keep Atletico Madrid on course for the final Champions League spot after a 3-1 home win against Girona, who remain third.

Griezmann’s first-half penalty cancelled out Artem Dovbyk’s early opener for Girona and Angel Correa headed Atletico into the lead in stoppage time before the break.

France forward Griezmann added his 12th league goal of the season early in the second period as Girona slipped to their fifth defeat in eight league matches.

Rayo Vallecano edged six points clear of the relegation zone after being held 0-0 at home by Getafe.

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich got their domestic campaign back on track as second-half goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Muller sealed a 2-0 home win against Cologne.

It was a crucial win for Bayern, who had lost their previous two league matches, as Champions League rivals Stuttgart, Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund all won.

Dani Olmo, Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda were on target for Leipzig in their 3-0 home win against Wolfsburg and Dortmund held on to win 2-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach despite the second-half dismissal of Germany winger Karim Adeyemi.

Marcel Sabitzer gave Dortmund the lead and then converted a penalty before Max Wober hit back for the hosts before the interval.

Adeyemi’s second yellow card left Dortmund with 10 men for most of the second period, but they held on.

Third-placed Stuttgart extended their unbeaten run to nine matches with a 3-0 home win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Serhou Guirassy, Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling were all on target in the first half for Stuttgart, who are level on points with Bayern.

Mainz boosted their survival hopes with a 4-1 home win over Hoffenheim, which made it 10 points from their last four matches and lifted them to within a point of Bochum, who drew 1-1 against Heidenheim.

In Serie A, Juventus failed to close the gap on second-placed Milan after they were held 0-0 by derby rivals Torino.

Juve have won only one of their last six domestic league matches and are five points behind Milan and 19 adrift of leaders Inter, with the top two both in action on Sunday.

Fourth-placed Bologna failed to capitalise on Juve’s dropped points as they were also held to a goalless stalemate at home against Monza, while Nicola Sansone’s late goal clinched Lecce a 1-0 home win against Empoli.

In Ligue 1, Reims’ hopes of European football next season were dealt a blow as they lost 3-1 at Strasbourg and Rennes had a setback in their bid for a top-six finish after losing 2-1 at home to Toulouse.

Real Madrid kept themselves in control at the top of LaLiga with a 1-0 win at Mallorca.

In a game of limited clear chances, a deflected effort from Aurelien Tchouameni early in the second half proved the difference for Los Blancos, who built towards a defining period of the campaign next week in the Champions League and hosting Barcelona in El Clasico.

With an eye on next week’s European quarter-final second leg against Manchester City, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti opted for five changes, but England midfielder Jude Bellingham retained his place in the side.

The visitors made a bright start, with Luka Modric sending an early free-kick straight into the wall.

Mallorca, recently beaten in the Copa del Rey final by Athletic Bilbao, were proving difficult to break down.

In the 34th minute, Bellingham sent in a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area but it looped over the goalkeeper and cannoned off the crossbar.

Real finally made their pressure count three minutes after the restart.

Tchouameni picked the ball up around 25 yards out before drilling in a rising drive which took a deflection off a Mallorca defender and spun off up into the top right corner.

Brahim Diaz had a chance to quickly double the lead after running into the Mallorca penalty area but his effort was straight at goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

As the hour mark passed, Mallorca substitute Abdon Prats saw his shot blocked before Real missed the chance to add a second.

Modric cut a pass back to Diaz just outside the six-yard box but the winger’s touch was too strong, which allowed Rajkovic to kick the loose ball clear.

Ancelotti then made a couple of changes, with Diaz and Bellingham given a rest as Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga were sent on.

Real pressed for another goal to kill off the match, with Camavinga playing in Federico Valverde, only for his effort to be hacked off the line by Mallorca defender Matija Nastasic.

Sergi Darder almost scored a fine equaliser when his 25-yard effort, flying towards the top left corner, was palmed away by Real keeper Andriy Lunin at full stretch.

With 10 minutes left, Joselu’s header from a free-kick was saved by Rajkovic.

Mallorca almost snatched a dramatic equaliser with what proved to be the last kick of the game deep into stoppage-time.

Lunin jumped with Vedat Muriqi as he tried to catch a high cross into the Real box but dropped the ball – which the Kosovo striker then stabbed wide of an open goal.

Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi has ramped up the pressure on Athletic Bilbao ahead of the Copa del Rey final by suggesting expectation may be too much for the Basque club.

Discounting the Spanish Super Cup, Bilbao have not won a trophy since a league and cup double in 1984.

Since then they have lost all six finals they have reached, during which time Mallorca won their maiden Copa del Rey in 2003.

“They have more experience in this game but they haven’t won in 40 years and they are favourites – but they have too much pressure. More than us,” Muriqi told Cadena SER.

“We can use it to our advantage and if we start the game well, we will have our chances.

“All players dream of winning a final. Physically we are not doing anything special but mentally I think that you have to prepare it a little differently.

“I have experience and I know how I have to handle it. I will handle it like a normal day. Everyone has to prepare themselves, it’s not up to the coach.”

Nevertheless, the Kosovo international believes experienced boss Javier Aguirre can make a difference.

“When I look to the sideline and I see Javier Aguirre there, I feel like we have another player,” he added.

“He has that experience and knows how to talk to the referee, how to motivate, how to demotivate. We are lucky to have this coach.”

Bilbao have an experienced coach of their own in Ernesto Valverde, who masterminded a quarter-final win over his former side Barcelona before beating Atletico Madrid to reach the final.

Defender Oscar de Marcos believes the game in Seville is a chance for the team to write their names into the club’s history books.

“I’m thinking about many former team-mates who have been here before,” he told a press conference.

“Some never made it to the final, others got this far, some with me, and we never took that last step.

“They lived through much more challenging situations so that we can enjoy this Copa final.

“We’re all just passing through this club and trying to leave our own legacy.”

Teenager Lamine Yamal struck a fine winner as Barcelona beat Mallorca 1-0 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to move into second place in the LaLiga table.

The 16-year-old beat Predrag Rajkovic with a delightful curling effort in the 73rd minute, having seen the Mallorca goalkeeper tip his shot against the crossbar earlier in the second half.

That was among a number of impressive saves made by Rajkovic, which also included keeping out Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty.

Having avoided a second successive 0-0 draw, Xavi’s men leapfrog Girona into second place, lying two points in front of them and five behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of those sides hosting Osasuna on Saturday and Celta Vigo on Sunday respectively.

Barca’s starting line-up showed four changes from last weekend’s goalless stalemate at Athletic Bilbao, with those coming out of the XI including midfielders Frenkie De Jong and Pedri after they were injured in that game, and Robert Lewandowski, who was on the bench.

The suspended Ronald Araujo was the other man dropping out of the team as 18-year-old Marc Guiu, Yamal, Joao Felix and Inigo Martinez came in.

The hosts had the chance to take the lead midway through the first half when Raphinha was brought down in the area by Jose Manuel Copete and the outcome after a VAR review was a penalty, but Gundogan saw Rajkovic push away his strike from 12 yards.

After Felix put an attempt wide, Barca saw their injury issues increase as Raphinha was forced to come off in the 37th minute, with Fermin Lopez taking his place.

The visitors then brought a save out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen as he dealt with Manu Morlanes’ header, before Rajkovic did well to deny Gundogan and tipped over Lopez’s headed effort.

Rajkovic produced more good work shortly after the break to keep out a deflected Felix shot.

Vedat Muriqi nodded against the Barca crossbar moments later, albeit with the flag going up for offside, and Yamal then saw his shot touched against the woodwork at the other end by Rajkovic just prior to the hour mark.

Xavi introduced Lewandowski and Vitor Roque soon after, and the latter put a header of his own just over the bar in the 69th minute.

Lewandowski then provided the assist as Yamal broke the deadlock in superb fashion, collecting the Poland striker’s pass just outside the box, moving into it and sending a wonderful strike into the top corner.

Yamal then teed up a Lopez effort that was skewed wide late on as Barca claimed the three points.

Mallorca and Real Sociedad’s Copa del Rey semi-final remains finely poised after a goalless first leg.

LaLiga strugglers Mallorca will be the happier of the two despite being the home side as they failed to register a shot on target against their Champions League opposition.

Imanol Alguacil will be hoping the visitors do not live to regret their stalemate at the Estadi Son Moix when they host the second leg on February 27.

The first half was a forgettable affair as neither side really created an opening that was deserving of breaking the deadlock.

Sociedad should have bagged an away goal but Umar Sadiq missed a golden opportunity to finish from close range.

Abdon Prats shot wide with the hosts’ best chance of the game but there was little for the home fans to shout about as they hoped to upset the odds.

With a number of LaLiga’s big hitters already eliminated, these two will fancy their chances at a rare glimpse of silverware.

Mallorca have won the Copa del Rey just once in their history – back in 2003 – while Sociedad have lifted it on only two occasions, the latter of which came with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in 2020.

That final could yet be repeated this season with Bilbao facing Atletico Madrid in the other semi-final.

While Mallorca now travel to Sociedad following this stalemate, the pair clash before that in a LaLiga fixture back at the Son Moix on February 18.

Girona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey in the quarter-finals as the LaLiga leaders fell to a 3-2 defeat at 10-man Real Mallorca.

The hosts took the lead in the 21st minute when Cyle Larin finished from close range having been teed up by Dani Rodriguez.

Mallorca’s advantage was then doubled seven minutes later by a wonder strike from Abdon Prats, who lashed the ball past Juan Carlos from around 25 yards out.

And Javier Aguirre’s side had a third another seven minutes on from that, Prats again the scorer as he converted a penalty following an Antal Yaakobishvili handball.

Girona pulled a goal back midway through the second half when Cristhian Stuani scored a spot-kick awarded after he was fouled by Antonio Raillo, who was given a second yellow card and his marching orders.

As Michel’s visitors looked to continue the fightback, they reduced the deficit further via a Savio finish in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but a last-gasp equaliser proved beyond them.

Leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona remain level on points at the top of LaLiga after both securing victory via late goals on Wednesday.

Real won 1-0 at home against Mallorca, with Antonio Rudiger heading in the only goal in the 78th minute.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men had survived a scare with the visitors hitting the woodwork twice, via Antonio Sanchez and Samu Costa, then did so themselves, with Brahim Diaz heading against a post when looking certain to score, before Rudiger showed greater accuracy.

Girona then kept pace as they emerged triumphant from a thriller, beating Atletico Madrid 4-3 at home thanks to a stoppage-time finish from Ivan Martin.

After Valery’s opener for the home side had been cancelled out by Alvaro Morata, an eventful first half continued with them adding further goals via Savio and Daley Blind.

Morata subsequently made it 3-2 in the 44th minute and completed his hat-trick to draw things level nine minutes into the second half, but Martin then had the final say with a finish into the top corner a minute into time added on at the end.

While Michel’s side join Real on 48 points, Diego Simeone’s Atletico are now 10 points back in third.

There was also a last-gasp winner for Celta Vigo as they came from behind to beat Real Betis 2-1 at home, courtesy of Williot Swedberg’s last-gasp effort.

That moved Celta out of the relegation zone at the expense of Cadiz, who were beaten 2-0 at second-bottom Granada, their first win under Alexander Medina.

Myrto Uzuni and Bryan Zaragoza scored for the hosts either side of Ruben Sobrino being sent off for the visitors as the gap between them reduced to one point.

Antonio Rudiger headed home a late winner as LaLiga leaders Real Madrid opened 2024 with a 1-0 victory over Mallorca at the Bernabeu.

Real edged in front when the centre-back connected with Luka Modric’s 78th-minute corner, having survived some scares with Mallorca hitting the woodwork via Antonio Sanchez and Samu Costa.

The hosts then did so themselves, substitute Brahim Diaz heading against a post when looking certain to score, before Rudiger showed greater accuracy to ensure they celebrated boss Carlo Ancelotti’s new contract with three points.

Real went three points clear of second-placed Girona ahead of them playing Atletico Madrid later on Wednesday.

Ancelotti – whose new deal to 2026 was announced on Friday – made four changes from the 1-0 victory at Alaves, which included bringing in Andriy Lunin in goal for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who had been recovering from illness, and the fit-again Vinicius Junior in attack, for his first appearance since sustaining an injury on Brazil duty in November.

Lunin came out of his box early on to intercept a ball with a diving header before Cyle Larin could latch on to it, before Jude Bellingham saw a header at the other end caught by Predrag Rajkovic.

Vinicius Junior was then to the fore, shooting just wide after a delightful through ball from Modric, missing with another attempt and then hitting a piledriver from just outside the box that the diving Rajkovic did well to keep out.

Mallorca had offered little going forward, but almost grabbed a shock lead in the 42nd minute as Sanchez saw a header come down off the underside of the Real crossbar.

Javier Aguirre’s visitors threatened again in first-half stoppage time as Larin sent an effort bouncing wide, and after Toni Kroos curled a free-kick over early in the second half for Real, Mallorca were then once again denied by the goalframe, with Costa unleashing a shot from distance that struck the foot of a post.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Real then gathered some momentum again and in the 69th minute Rodrygo brought a parry out of Rajkovic and the loose ball came to Diaz, only for the former Manchester City man to head against the upright from close range.

The hosts then made the breakthrough nine minutes later as skipper Modric sent a corner into the area and Rudiger was there to power past Rajkovic.

Top-scorer Bellingham sent an effort off-target as Real sought to add to their lead in the closing stages.

Ansu Fati's fabulous first-half double fired LaLiga champions Barcelona to victory in their Camp Nou farewell with a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca.

The Blaugrana signed off from their famous stadium in style, with Gavi also netting in a comfortable win over their 10-men visitors on Sunday.

In what was their final home game at their iconic ground before a temporary move to facilitate a lengthy renovation, Xavi's side ensured they bade it a fitting goodbye.

After losses against Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid, it also marked an impressive return to form.

Barca needed less than a minute to carve open their visitors, with Fati tucking away a Gavi cutback following a neat Robert Lewandowski ball into the box.

Matters soon worsened for Mallorca, when Amath Ndiaye saw his yellow card upgraded to a red by VAR for a shocking foul on Alejandro Balde.

Fati doubled his tally after that with a close-range rocket off Lewandowski's deft one-touch set-up, and Barca never looked like losing control from there on out.

Mallorca dug their heels in, but even then remained under siege, with Jules Kounde hitting the bar with a header shortly after the restart.

Lewandowski crashed a free-kick against the woodwork too, but Barca finally found their third when Gavi lashed a low finish beyond Dominik Greif.

There were standing ovations for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets on their final home appearances, with the Camp Nou crowd rising to salute the club legends.

Carlo Ancelotti suggested Spanish football has a "problem" with racism after Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was abused again on Sunday.

LaLiga launched an investigation on Monday after social media footage showed racist insults being directed at Vinicius during Madrid's 1-0 defeat at Real Mallorca on Sunday.

The 22-year-old was subjected to racist abuse in both of Madrid's matches with city rivals Atletico Madrid this season, while LaLiga filed hate crime charges to Spanish courts after similar incidents in December's game with Real Valladolid.

Vinicius accused LaLiga in December of "doing nothing" to combat racism, and his head coach feels Spanish football must face up to the issue.

"The question I ask is this: What is the problem?" Ancelotti told reporters. "Vinicius? Vinicius' team-mates? What's the problem? To defend himself? What does Vinicius have to defend himself against? What do his team-mates have to defend themselves against? I don't know.

"It seems like the problem is Vinicius, but the problem is what happens around him. Period.

"It is a problem of Spanish football. I am a part of Spanish football and I think it's a problem that we have to solve. Because it seems that Vinicius is the culprit, but he is the victim of something that I don't understand."

Federico Valverde defended Vinicius' exuberant playing style after he was fouled 10 times against Mallorca – the most by any Madrid player in a Spanish top-flight match since Isco against Real Betis in August 2013.

Vinicius has won 79 fouls in LaLiga this season, 25 more than any other player, and Valverde feels Madrid's players must stand up for him to counter any opposition roughhouse tactics.

"He is an incredible person, with a lot of values," Valverde said ahead of Madrid's Club World Cup semi-final against Egyptian side Al Ahly on Wednesday. "On the pitch, he tries to enjoy it, that's the way he is.

"I always say that so many fouls on the pitch is part of the game, we have to defend him as team-mates.

"Another thing is racism and what happens on the pitch, [there is] so much anger. He is a 22-year-old boy. I think Vinicius deserves respect."