Victory at last against struggling Racing

And the victory came at last. Joaquín Caparrós has finally got his first win under his belt.  Mallorca beat Racing de Santander 2-1 with goals from Nsue and Víctor Casadesús, leaving a bad run behind which had lasted two months. It is a crucial victory for morale, especially for Dudu Aouate who played his 100^th match for RCD Mallorca today.

Mallorca had the bit between their teeth right from the off, determined to take the three points against Racing. Joaquín Caparrós demanded 100% from the team he picked and they would not disappoint him with how they started. The man from Seville named Dudu Aouate in goal, for his hundredth match as Mallorca’s goalkeeper; Cendrós, Chico, Ramis and Bigas were to chosen to line up in defence against the Cantabrians; and Pina and Martí took their places in centre midfield, with Pereira and Castro on the wings. Víctor and Hemed formed the attack.

With only four minutes on the clock, Mallorca had the first meaningful attack, determined to stamp their authority on the game. Pereira wanted to take advantage of being picked to start and he had the first real shot on goal, but it went wide of Toño’s goal. Just after, Hemed could also have put the home side in front. Everything was going well, until Mallorca suffered a significant setback. As he tried to switch the play, Gonzalo Castro injured himself and he had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. The Uruguayan suffered an injury to the rear of his thigh and he will undergo tests on Monday to investigate to the extent of the injury. Emilio Nsue came on in his place and he would play a key role in the events of the next few minutes.

Just after the change, the match became more untidy and Racing began to have a few openings.  Cúper’s men saw Stuani send a weak header in on goal which Aouate was able to save easily. Later, Nsue sent a cross in which Hemed was not quite in the right position to be able to finish off.  Mallorca were pressing but were not creating enough chances. Just before the break, the Reds got their goal. A good ball in from the left-hand side saw Torrejón stick the cross into his own net.

The goal settled Caparrós’s men down and in the second half they took full control from the off. Chances continued to come, and Racing’s breaks were stopped before there was any real danger. Hemed had another chance but it was Víctor Casadesús who would score the second goal, having also been very prominent throughout the match. The man from Algaida saw a good cross from Pereira come in from the right and Víctor, unmarked in the centre of the area, was there to make it 2-0.

Everything seemed to be under control and Mallorca were playing well, seeming to be organized in midfield and looking dangerous but wasteful on several occasions upfront. Racing then took advantage of a defensive mistake, with Ariel, unmarked, heading home from a free-kick Diop looped in, making it 2-1.

Six minutes before the 90 were up, Fernández Borbalán inexplicably sent off Pedro Bigas, seemingly for a tackle on Arana, and Mallorca had to play with ten men. Nerves and tension would follow because of this disadvantage and Aouate had to make one more save to keep the three points on the island.

Teams

Real Mallorca (4-4-2): Aouate; Cendrós, Chico, Ramis, Bigas ; Pereira, Pina  (Tissone 75), Martí , Castro (Nsue 18); Víctor , Hemed (Álvaro 65).
Substitutes: Calatayud (gk); João Victor, Tejera, Aki, Tissone, Nsue; Álvaro.
Goals: Nsue 46; Víctor 57.

Real Racing Club (4-2-3-1): Toño ; Francis (Picón 45), Torrejón, Bernando, Cisma; Diop, Adrián (Colsa 75); Arana, Munitis, Luque; Stuani (Nahuelpan 58).
Substitutes: Fernández (gk); Picón, Osmar, Christian; Colsa, Serrano; Nahuelpan.
Goal: Nahuelpan 74.

Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (ESP)
Stadium: Iberostar Estadi, Palma de Mallorca
Attendance: 11,762