Neither Bellingham nor Vinicius, Real Madrid beat Mallorca thanks to an unexpected hero

The three points that Real Madrid got this Wednesday could be key for the future of La Liga. They started the 19th round of the Spanish tournament with 45 points, sharing the first place in the standings with Girona. But Los Tozudos will have a very difficult match against Atlético Madrid in Catalunya, so it is possible that they will have difficulties to win.

That's why it was an ideal opportunity for Los Merengues. They were playing at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium against Real Mallorca, one of the weakest teams of the season, with only 3 wins in the tournament and dangerously close to the relegation zone.

However, things were not easy. The rivals defended well for most of the match, nullified Real Madrid's virtues and made it difficult for them to create chances to score. In fact, during the first half Mallorca had the most dangerous chances, with Antonio Sanchez's header hitting the crossbar and Cyle Larin's shot going wide. The hosts came close to the opener through Vinicius, with a beautiful individual play that ended with a shot saved by goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

In the second half things changed. After a few missed chances, such as a shot against the post by Samu Costa, the visitors no longer had the energy to counter Ancelotti's team's attackers and so they dropped back in the field, dangerously close to their own goalkeeper. Against this backdrop, Los Merengues tried their best to score and succeeded with only 12 minutes left on the clock: Luka Modric sent in a floated cross from the corner and Antonio Rudiger netted the opener with a header.

Now the onus is on the others

With the win against Mallorca, Real Madrid ensured they remain at the top of the La Liga standings. Now Girona, if they want to catch them, must beat Atletico Madrid, another of Spain's giants at the top of the table.