Kylian Mbappe failed to live up to expectations in his highly anticipated debut in La Liga with Real Madrid, as the reigning champions were held 1-1 by Mallorca on the opening day of the new season.
The French sensation, making a momentous summer move from Paris Saint-Germain to the Santiago Bernabeu, was brilliant in shades but couldn't stroke success into his very first match in the Spanish league.
After scoring on his Madrid debut just days before in Madrid's win over Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup, the 25-year-old forward—holder of six Ligue 1 Golden Boots, PSG's all-time leading scorer—had big shoes to fill.
Real Madrid rushed into the game, and Brazilian stars Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. combined well together to score their opener of the match. Vinicius then teed up Rodrygo with a fine backheel pass, and the Brazilian winger slotted a measured shot into the far corner, which went past the reach of the oncoming goalkeeper, to give his team a deserved lead.
Nevertheless, Mallorca kept their cool and found the equalizer. The huge figure of forward Vedat Muriqi towered above the rest to connect with Dani Rodríguez's cross, nodding it into the back of the net with power beyond Thibaut Courtois, silencing the home crowd and raising hopes among the visitors.
Mbappe had chances to level matters for Madrid but could not convert. An explosive strike just missed the target, and another one has been blocked by Mallorca's goalkeeper, Dominik Greif, with his feet on the line. All his efforts as world champion led him nowhere near goalward.
Things went worse for Madrid as Ferland Mendy was shown a straight red for a last-minute challenge on Muriqi, and the hosts saw the last minutes out with ten men. So, the scoreline was very much wrapped up with a sense of frustration for the home team, who would have wished for something better in their first match in defense of the title.
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