Mallorca took a giant step this Sunday to continue in the First Division for the third consecutive season, beating Getafe 3-1 with a brace from South Korean Kang In Lee and another goal from Antonio Raillo, in a vibrant game given the enormous importance of the points at stake. [Check the LaLiga table].
It was a final, and that was the way coaches Javier Aguirre and Quique Sánchez Flores understood it, hardened in a thousand football battles and who faced the clash with the best they had, saving nothing for the remaining eight days.
The vermillions faced the challenge of breaking – and they succeeded – a streak of three games without winning in Palma after the defeat against Elche and the draws against Real Sociedad and Osasuna; The azulones, for their part, appeared on the island with Valencia hot on their heels after their victory in Elche.
The clash had two very different parts. The azulón team, with the same eleven that drew with FC Barcelona last day, was superior at the start. He knew how to close the bands and covered the spaces to prevent Amath and Muriqi from receiving proper balls.
Borja Mayoral’s goal contributed to making the visitors’ game more fluid; The man from Madrid finished off in the area and his shot was poisoned with an impossible parable for the Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.
The Majorcan players, also with the same team that beat Celta in Vigo (0-1), hardly disturbed David Soria’s goal.
The full-backs Sánchez and Maffeo ran through the wings on a few occasions, well covered by Suárez and Iglesias and the help of the rest of their teammates.
Nor were Ruiz de Galarreta, Manu Morlanes and Kang In Lee right, although the South Korean starred in the most showy plays.
Javier Aguirre rectified at the start of the second half: he sacrificed Antonio Sánchez, a midfielder turned winger, to bring on Jaume Costa on the left wing, his natural position; Pablo Maffeo, for his part, returned to the area on the right of the defense.
Quique Sánchez Flores continued with the established plan, reinforced by the advantage on the scoreboard, but Mallorca was another with the defenders in their place, more dynamic, more decisive, as he demonstrated by creating clear chances.
He was able to score Muriqi on an occasion that does not usually fail; Kang In Lee, the most fit player for the vermilions, did it when he took advantage of Soria’s clearance of a Manu Morlanes shot from outside the area.
Seven minutes later Antonio Raillo rose above the Azulona defense to hit an unstoppable header for Soria and make it 2-1 to the overflowing jubilation in the stands.
The Córdoba central defender celebrated his goal by taking off his shirt and will not play the next game against Atlético de Madrid due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
Quique Sánchez Flores quickly moved the bench in search of a reaction: Portu, Aleñá and Gonzalo Villar entered but the game had already changed.
Now it was Getafe who were not comfortable and who had a hard time finding spaces in the Majorcan defense. The comeback in just seven minutes by the “Vasco” team did damage to the ranks of the Madrid team.
The end was fast-paced and controversial, as the Madrid team called for a penalty in the action prior to Kang In Lee’s second goal, who traveled more than 70 meters alone to beat Soria and seal the match.
3- Mallorca: Rajkovic; Sanchez (Jaume Costa, min. 46), Raillo, Hadzikadunic, Valjent, Maffeo; Morlanes (Baba, 73 mins), Ruiz de Galarreta (Grenier, 92 mins), Kang In Lee; Amath (Dani Rodriguez, 73rd min) and Muriqi (Abdon Prats, 81st min).
1- Getafe: Soria; Suárez (Villar, min. 68), Djené, Duarte, Alderete, Iglesias; Milla, Maksimovic (Aleñá, min. 68), Munir (Portu, min. 68); Mayoral and Ünai.
Goals: 0-1, min. 22: Borja Mayoral; 1-1, min. 56: Kang In Lee; 2-1, min. 63: Raillo; 3-1, min. 94: Kang In Lee.
Referee: González Fuertes (Asturian Committee). He sent off Luisvi de Miguel, coach of the Mallorca goalkeepers, with a direct red card (min. 45). He admonished Alderete (min. 32), Mata (min. 95), Villar, min. 87), from Getafe; to Raillo (min. 63) and Ruiz de Galarreta (min. 88), from Mallorca.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the thirtieth day of LaLiga played at the Son Moix stadium in front of 15,687 spectators.