The Yellows suffer defeat in Mallorca after playing with a man less for more than 70 minutes
Villarreal were beaten 4-2 at Son Moix. The Yellows lost to Mallorca in a tough and long match, in which they had to play for more than 70 minutes with a numerical disadvantage. The Yellows fought hard and managed to draw level on a couple of occasions, but in the end the home side made their superiority count and took the three points.
The Submarine landed on the islands with the firm objective of obtaining a victory that would break the dynamic of three consecutive defeats in LaLiga. It was a tough task for the Yellows, who were up against a Mallorca side who had won their last four games at Son Moix.
Villarreal came into the game well, but it didn’t take long for the game to go against them. Before the 20 minute mark, Mallorca took the lead through Kadewere. The Zimbabwean player beat Reina after receiving an assist inside the box from Muriqi following a poor pass out the back from the Yellows in defence.
If the 1-0 scoreline was a harsh blow for Quique Setién’s side, the sending off -almost immediately and very harshly- of Manu Trigueros penalised Villarreal even more at Son Moix. The midfielder was shown the red card after reacting after being tackled from behind by Dani Rodríguez.
On the verge of half-time, Morales levelled the score after taking advantage of an error by the home side. The striker from Madrid latched onto a poor back pass from Raíllo and beat Rajkovic with a neat finish. The Submarine took advantage of the gift of the opportunity to get into the game, although it would be for a very short time. Just two minutes after the Yellows’ goal, Mallorca scored their second goal with a powerful header from Dani Rodríguez from Pablo Maffeo’s cross. Once again, a hard blow.
Despite the great difficulties, Villarreal did not lose face in the game. The Yellows came out with verve in the second half and managed to get back on level terms. Samu Chukwueze finished off a good ball from Yeremy in a swift move by the Submarine, initiated by a fantastic recovery by Capoue.
Once again, Mallorca reacted well to the goal scored by Setién’s team. In the 56th minute, Dani Rodríguez again got his head to the area to score the third home goal. This time from a corner kick by Kang In. Mallorca’s fourth goal came next. Muriqi beat Reina after a flick-on from Raíllo inside the area.
The last few minutes of the game gave both teams options. Mallorca could have extended their lead with chances from Kang In and Muriqi and Villarreal failed to capitalise on two clear chances from Morales. The second half also saw the debuts of Haissem Hassan and Ramón Terrats with the first team.
In the end, the Submarine came away empty-handed from their visit to Son Moix. The team coached by Quique Setién will look to reverse the negative run against Getafe CF on Monday 27th February, at 9pm CET, at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Lineups:
RCD Mallorca: Rajkovic; Maffeo, G. González, A. Raíllo, Copete (Nastasic, m. 81), J. Costa; Kadewere (Ángel, m. 78), Dani Rodríguez (Battaglia, m. 74), R. De Galarreta, Lee Kang In (Grenier, m. 81); Muriqi (Abdón Prats, m. 81).
Villarreal CF: Reina; Foyth, R. Albiol, Pau, J. Mojica; Parejo, Capoue (R. Terrats, m. 89), M. Trigueros; Chukwueze (Haissem, m. 67), A. J. Morales (Fer Niño, m. 89); Yeremy (Álex B., m. 67).
Goals: 1-0. Min. 20: Kadewere. 1-1. Min. 43: A. J. Morales. 2-1. Min. 45: Dani Rodríguez. 2-2. Min. 50: Chukwueze. 3-2. Min. 56: Dani Rodríguez. 4-2. Min. 63: Muriqi.
Referee: Sánchez Martínez. Booked: Dani Rodríguez, Raíllo, Copete, Nastasic, J. Costa (RCD Mallorca). Sent off: Manu Trigueros (Min. 22).
Matchday information: Match between RCD Mallorca and Villarreal CF, corresponding to Gameweek 22 of the LaLiga Santander season, at Son Moix. Attendance: 13,597. A minute’s silence was held in memory of the victims of the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria.
