A bitter defeat: Mbappé fails the test... and Mallorca capitalise on the ageing star’s weakness

International newspapers highlighted Real Madrid’s stumble against Mallorca, particularly the German press, which focused heavily on the dip in form shown by the Whites’ players.

In its analysis of the match, Bild stated that Real had not expected this “bitter defeat” ahead of their clash with Bayern Munich, and continued as follows:

Ahead of the decisive quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid manager Álvaro Arbeloa initially opted for rotation.

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Both Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, coming on only in the second half (59th minute) – at which point Real Madrid were a goal down.

Bellingham had been sidelined before the international break due to a thigh injury. He is now back in action. Real Madrid were also forced to play without Federico Valverde due to suspension.

First-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is also out with a muscle tear and will not feature in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern; he is replaced in goal by André Lunin (27).

For Kylian Mbappé, the match was also an important test of his return to fitness and match sharpness.

The French striker had recently been struggling with knee problems, yet he posed a threat in the first half, though he failed to beat Mallorca goalkeeper Leo on two occasions as the keeper made strong saves (22nd and 25th minutes).

Even after the break, Leo got the better of Mbappé on another occasion (55th minute), and the Real Madrid star appeared to be lacking in fitness, taking short breaks from running on more than one occasion.

Bild continued: "Just before half-time, Mallorca took a surprise lead: Morlanes scored unmarked from inside the penalty area (41st minute), whilst Rüdiger was unable to make a decisive intervention – and looked far too old."

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She added: “In the final minutes of the match, the situation descended into chaos: first, Militão managed to equalise for Real Madrid (88th minute). But Mallorca struck back again: Vedat Muriqi scored (90+1) to seal the victory. And just like with the first goal, Lunin was unable to anticipate the right corner!”