RCD Mallorca's positive run came to an abrupt halt with a 0-1 home defeat to UD Almería at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. The only goal of the LaLiga HyperMotion matchday 7 fixture was scored by Miguel de la Fuente in the first half.
The Balearic side, who had taken ten points from their previous four matches, struggled to break down a resolute Almería defence. The decisive moment arrived when a free-kick bounced in the area and De la Fuente struck a right-footed shot from close range past Arnau Tenas. VAR checked a potential red card for Antonio Raíllo in the first period, but the referee stuck with his original decision to show only a yellow.
A stop-start affair
The match was punctuated by its physicality and a high number of bookings. Nine players in total were shown yellow cards, five of them from the home side. John Donald, Pablo Torre, Antonio Raíllo, Aboubaka Soumahoro, Josep Cerdà and Miguel Calatayud were the Mallorca players cautioned. The manager made five second-half substitutions, introducing Adam Buksa, Alberto Moreno, Arnau Puigmal, Sergi Darder and Cerdà in search of an equaliser, but the breakthrough never materialised.
The loss puts a brake on the team's promising momentum, having previously collected 13 points from a possible 18 to sit fourth in the standings. With this result, Mallorca remain on 13 points, three behind leaders Castellón, and hold a positive goal difference of eight scored and two conceded. Their next assignment is a tough trip to face third-placed Girona on October 4th.
Striker Adrián Fuentes, the team's top scorer with four goals in six appearances, could not provide a decisive contribution on this occasion. The squad must quickly rediscover the defensive solidity that had been a hallmark, having conceded only two goals all season prior to this match. The team has a week of training to make adjustments before the journey to Montilivi, a fixture already listed in our fixtures.
This story first appeared at Mundo Deportivo
