RCD Mallorca began their preparations for the new campaign with a clear victory at the Marbella Football Center. Luis García's side beat Saudi team Al-Fateh 3-0 in a friendly that served to give minutes to almost the entire squad and left positive feelings ahead of the start of official competition.
With Iván Cuéllar in goal, the initial defence consisted of Miguel Calatayud, Antonio Raíllo, Martin Valjent and Toni Lato. In midfield, Sergi Darder and Manu Morlanes partnered Pablo Torre, while the attack was formed by Zito Luvumbo on the right, Marc Domenech on the left and Adrián Fuentes as the most advanced reference. The vermilion team, currently sitting third in the Segunda División with 13 points, sought a goal from the start.
First half dominance
The first chance came in the eighth minute, after a combination between Morlanes and Darder ended in a cross for Raíllo, whose header went wide. The visitors had an opportunity in the 29th minute, when Matheus Machado found himself one-on-one with Cuéllar but failed to beat the goalkeeper. Shortly after, Adrián Fuentes tried his luck after a solo run, but his shot was blocked.
Persistence paid off just before half-time. Zito Luvumbo received the ball on the right wing, cut inside and, from inside the area, shot with his left foot to open the scoring. Almost immediately, the same Luvumbo extended the lead after a through ball from Pablo Torre. The winger got past the opposing goalkeeper with a dribble and pushed the ball into the net to make it 2-0 at the break.
Eight changes and more goals
For the second half, Luis García made up to eight changes, keeping only Morlanes, Darder and Valjent on the pitch. Lucas Bergström, Mateu Jaume, Luis Orejuela, Jan Virgili, Antonio Sánchez, Abdón Prats, Antoniu Roca and Aboubaka Soumahoro came on. The pace of the match remained and Mallorca continued to create danger.
In the 57th minute, Antonio Sánchez played a through ball to Jan Virgili, who beat the goalkeeper but the goal was disallowed for a very tight offside. Shortly after, the manager completed the changes with the introduction of Aimar Peña, David López and Jandro García. The third goal came after a cross from the left flank by Virgili that Abdón Prats finished accurately.
The Mallorca striker came close to scoring again in the 80th minute, when his direct free-kick was pushed away by the opposing keeper. Luis Orejuela also tried his luck with a shot from inside the area after a pass from Roca, but the goalkeeper intervened again. RCD Mallorca maintained control of the match until the final whistle without conceding further chances, thus closing their first pre-season test with a victory.
The team is already thinking about the next appointment in their preparation schedule, while continuing to work to face the start of the league with the best guarantees. The next official commitment will be the match against Almeria, fourth in the table, on 27 September at Son Moix, a key match already listed in our fixtures.
This story first appeared at RCD Mallorca
