<p>Real Madrid got their LaLiga title defence off to a limp start as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, with Vedat Muriqi's second-half header cancelling out Rodrygo's early strike and spoiling Kylian Mbappe's eagerly awaited debut on Sunday.</p><p>Real's so-called "New Galacticos" with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr headlining a stellar squad came crashing back to earth with a dreary performance at a raucous Son Moix.</p><p>Real Madrid started well and took the lead thanks to a fine curling strike by Brazilian forward Rodrygo assisted by a back-heeled pass from his countryman Vinicius Jr in the 13th minute.</p><p>However, Mallorca started to create some chances in counter-attacks as a toothless Real grew frustrated, dominating possession but lacking ideas up front.</p><p>With Mbappe and Bellingham nowhere to be found, Vinicius was arguably Real's only weapon against a disciplined Mallorca defence. But the Brazilian ended up losing his cool and was taunted by the local fans every time he touched the ball.</p><p>The Son Moix stadium has been a tough place for Vinicius, who in February 2023 was racially abused by the local supporters there.</p>.Napoli stunned 3-0 by Verona in Serie A opener.<p>On Sunday, he had several heated exchanges with rivals and was reprimanded by the referee after staring into the stands as if daring fans to shout at him all the more.</p><p>Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made three fine saves to keep the visitor's lead, but there was nothing he could do to Muriqi powerful header from a corner in the 53rd minute that level for the locals.</p><p>Vinicius's struggles and Mallorca's equaliser frustrated Real thereafter. They only really threatened twice with similar moves by Mbappe, who sprinted up the left channel in counter-attacks but had his angled strikes denied by an inspired Dominik Greif in goal for Mallorca.</p><p>Real ended the match with 10-men after defender Ferland Mendy was shown a straight red for a sliding tackle deep into added time.</p><p>One day after a depleted Barca fought back to win 2-1 at Valencia despite missing several key starters, a star-studded Real Madrid laboured away to little avail, suggesting they may need to work harder than they thought to fit Mbappe into their squad.</p>
<p>Real Madrid got their LaLiga title defence off to a limp start as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, with Vedat Muriqi's second-half header cancelling out Rodrygo's early strike and spoiling Kylian Mbappe's eagerly awaited debut on Sunday.</p><p>Real's so-called "New Galacticos" with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr headlining a stellar squad came crashing back to earth with a dreary performance at a raucous Son Moix.</p><p>Real Madrid started well and took the lead thanks to a fine curling strike by Brazilian forward Rodrygo assisted by a back-heeled pass from his countryman Vinicius Jr in the 13th minute.</p><p>However, Mallorca started to create some chances in counter-attacks as a toothless Real grew frustrated, dominating possession but lacking ideas up front.</p><p>With Mbappe and Bellingham nowhere to be found, Vinicius was arguably Real's only weapon against a disciplined Mallorca defence. But the Brazilian ended up losing his cool and was taunted by the local fans every time he touched the ball.</p><p>The Son Moix stadium has been a tough place for Vinicius, who in February 2023 was racially abused by the local supporters there.</p>.Napoli stunned 3-0 by Verona in Serie A opener.<p>On Sunday, he had several heated exchanges with rivals and was reprimanded by the referee after staring into the stands as if daring fans to shout at him all the more.</p><p>Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made three fine saves to keep the visitor's lead, but there was nothing he could do to Muriqi powerful header from a corner in the 53rd minute that level for the locals.</p><p>Vinicius's struggles and Mallorca's equaliser frustrated Real thereafter. They only really threatened twice with similar moves by Mbappe, who sprinted up the left channel in counter-attacks but had his angled strikes denied by an inspired Dominik Greif in goal for Mallorca.</p><p>Real ended the match with 10-men after defender Ferland Mendy was shown a straight red for a sliding tackle deep into added time.</p><p>One day after a depleted Barca fought back to win 2-1 at Valencia despite missing several key starters, a star-studded Real Madrid laboured away to little avail, suggesting they may need to work harder than they thought to fit Mbappe into their squad.</p>