Mallorca's Alex Sala rues a missed opportunity. | Photo: Carlos Gil-Roig
Monro BrycePalma17/10/2026 20:29
Eibar 1 - 1 Real Mallorca
This was one of those games when Real Mallorca left the Ipurua stadium on Saturday evening feeling they deserved considerably more than they actually got after drawing 1-1 against Eibar. We looked more capable of heading back to the island with all three points but a dramatic finish turned what looked like a valuable away victory into a frustrating draw.
Mallorca arrived in a good frame of mind after the 3-1 win against Las Palmas last weekend. However, playing at the tiny Ipurua stadium is never an easy assignment, although Mallorca looked well on top in the first half. Incredibly we rattled the woodwork three times against a team who are unbeaten at home this season. The highlight of the first half saw a spectacular volley from Liso which had “goal of the season” written all over it. Unfortunately the ball hit the crossbar.
We had several chances to break the 0-0 deadlock but had to wait until the 52nd minute to deservedly take the lead. Good work down the left from Liso saw Adri Fuentes (nicknamed “El Bufalo” for his head-down and charge-forward style !) score his sixth goal of the season. Shortly after that, our goalkeeper Arnau Tenas produced a brilliant save to keep a now-rampant Eibar at bay. He then went on to make several other saves including a penalty.
Eibar’s coach by now had made changes and they looked a different team. Mallorca came under intense pressure. Could they hold out ? Things became desperate when, following a late tackle, John Chatauya received his second yellow card and Mallorca were down to ten men. It was all hands to the pump for the last 10 minutes.
Then disaster. Teenager Guille Fernandez committed a dubious, clumsy foul in the penalty area and Eibar got their reward. This time Ivan Gil made no mistake, denying Mallorca a win which was well within their grasp. When the final whistle blew (from another terrible referee) the young Guille Fernandez was close to tears and was consoled by his teammates. He knew his mistake had caused Mallorca to drop two points.
Mallorca fans can be proud of the team’s efforts on Saturday but we were left wondering what might have been. The promotion scrap is a marathon, not a sprint, but there’s no doubt Mallorca are at last able to compete with one of the second division’s best sides, even in a difficult atmosphere away from home. Next up we travel to Madrid to play Leganes on Saturday October 24 at 4:15. Ex-Mallorca favourite Dani Rodriguez is now part of their squad. Our next home game is on Monday, November 2, at 9pm, when we face Cadiz.