Carlo Ancelotti’s Los Blancos club lost their opening weekend games despite its potent offensive not performing to the expected standards.

To start the season, Real Madrid and Mallorca were kept to a painful 1-1 stalemate, while Kylian Mbappe’s La Liga debut proved to be futile. The famous people in his immediate vicinity did not help much either.

Unlike the expected statement performance, Los Blancos’ all-star front three was unable to seize the moment when it mattered most, leading to ninety minutes of brief moments of anxiety.

In the opening minutes, Madrid looked alive as Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. caused problems for a Mallorca defence that was already stretched too thin. The first goal was eventually scored by Rodrygo, who cut inside his opponent and fired a shot into the upper corner.

Prior to halfway, Vedat Muriqi took advantage of a mistake made by Thibaut Courtois, putting the home team within striking distance of an equaliser. But Antonio Rudiger, who played a fantastic game, misplaced the ball. Following the break, Muriqi made apologies by slipping past a defenceless Courtois and entering at the back post from a corner.

That ought to have provided Madrid’s revamped front three with a suitable platform to display their abilities. Instead, they struggled to get by in the last minutes, creating few half-chances and unable to break through a well-prepared Mallorcan block. By the end of the game, Jude Bellingham was looking on from the bench, frustrated, while Vinicius was slouched on the sidelines. Ferland Mendy was sent off for a horrifying challenge in the closing seconds.

Mbappe, on the other hand, will have to deal with a Madrid debut in which he failed to impress.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (5/10):

A shaky moment almost gifted Mallorca a goal, and he didn’t offer too much security otherwise. An off-night.

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Quick and scrappy on the right, but didn’t offer too much going forward.

Eder Militao (6/10):

A bit shaky at times, with the odd loose touch or poor pass marring his game. Still short of his best post-ACL injury.

Antonio Rudiger (8/10):

An imperious force at the back. Jumped for all of his headers and won countless duels.

Ferland Mendy (5/10):

Shielded well – Mallorca had pretty much nothing down his wing. A late red card marred his evening.

Midfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Very tidy in his passing, even if he didn’t advance the ball forward much. Sacrificed for the more attacking Modric after an hour.

Federico Valverde (5/10):

A rare lacklustre performance from the Uruguayan, who missed a couple of tackles and didn’t pass as cleanly as usual. With Kroos gone, things will need to improve.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Made an impact in deeper areas and connected with the front three effectively. He’s always involved – no matter where he starts.

Attack

Rodrygo (7/10):

Took his goal wonderfully, and was probably the most dangerous of the front three. Who says he’s the odd man out?

Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

Made all kinds of interesting runs, but never really got the clear chance – or half-chance – he needed to make things happen.

Vinicius Jr (6/10):

Created four chances, and assisted Rodrygo’s goal, but wasn’t effective enough when it came to doing it himself.

Subs & Manager

Luka Modric (6/10):

Floated around, found some nice angles, but never the killer pass.

Arda Guler (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Lucas Vazquez (N/A):

On for the final five minutes.

Brahim Diaz (N/A):

Barely had a kick.

Carlo Ancelotti (5/10):

Picked his strongest XI – as expected – but didn’t really change anything as points slipped away. Madrid didn’t create enough chances, and he will have some serious pondering to do in the coming weeks to get the best out of his attackers.