Defending champions Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Mallorca in their La Liga opener.
Real Madrid got off to a slow start with Kylian Mbappé’s league debut, but Rodrigo equalised in the 13th minute with a back-heel shot from VinÃcius Jr.
But seven minutes into the second half, Vedat Muriqi headed home a Dani RodrÃguez corner to level the scores.
Both sides had chances to win the game in the closing stages, but neither scored the crucial winning goal.
Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy was then shown a straight red card in stoppage time for lunging at Muriqi as he tried to stop a Mallorca counterattack.
“I was happy with some draws last season, but not today because we could have done better,” said head coach Carlo Ancelotti after the game. “I don’t want to make excuses for anything, but we need to do better, have a better attitude. We can learn a lot from this game. It’s very clear where our problems might come from.
“We struggled defensively, it was difficult for us to win the ball back and to press after losing it. We have to improve in this area. When we talk about defensive performances, we talk first of all about attitude and collective commitment.
“When we regained the ball, we all had to think as a team. It was a problem for the forwards and the defense. It’s a team problem and in this game they didn’t understand that it was a very important factor. Mallorca played well defensively, better than us. I think the draw is a fair result.”
Mbappe made his debut in last week’s UEFA Super Cup, helping Real Madrid to a 2-0 win over Atalanta, before a lacklustre performance on Sunday.
The French superstar, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, had a shot blocked by goalkeeper Dominic Greve in the second half, though Rodrygo should have scored on the rebound.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona opened the La Liga season with a 2-1 win away to Valencia.
