Defeat is all mine, says Real Madrid boss Arbeloa as decision to leave Vinicius Jr backfires in Mallorca

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa admitted he was to blame for this afternoon’s stunning defeat by Real Mallorca but refused to concede the title to Barcelona.

Madrid went down 2-1 at Son Moix, with Vedat Muriqi scoring a dramatic winner for the relegation-threatened hosts in stoppage time.

Madrid looked to have salvaged the tie when substitute Eder Militao canceled out Manu Morlanes’ opener two minutes from time. However, Muriki scored his 19th league goal in a remarkable season to deny Madrid a point and move Mallorca out of the bottom three.

It was a miserable afternoon for the visitors, and Arbeloa in particular, as his decision to leave Vinicius Jr on the bench until the hour mark backfired spectacularly.

Arbeloa said: « This defeat is mine, absolutely mine. What I need from them (the players) is that they are already thinking about the game on Tuesday. I am the one who makes the decisions and this defeat is entirely up to the coach of Real Madrid and I need my players to believe in winning the game on Tuesday. When they leave the dressing room, they should only think about Bayern. »

Barcelona in first position after a mistake by Real Madrid

Barcelona will go seven points clear at the top of La Liga if they can beat Atletico Madrid tonight.

Asked to assess his side’s title chances, Arbeloa added: « It’s more difficult now than before we started this game. We have eight games left and no matter how the league looks, as I told the players, our next goal is to win the other eight. We have to play better than today. »

Madrid played well in the first half, but could not find a way past home goalkeeper Leo Roman.

Morlanes scored against the run of play after 42 minutes and Madrid looked to have run out of ideas only for the returning Militao, making his first appearance in nearly four months with a thigh injury, to head home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner.

Mallorca weren’t done though and they won in the first of five minutes of added time when Matteo Joseph laid the ball off to Muriki and he took it in stride before firing past Andrii Lunin before collapsing on the turf in tears.

« It’s easy for me to see the difficulty of the game, of the opponent, » Arbeloa said. « The difficult thing is that the players understand that today without 200% effort we won’t win. In a game where we were better, it’s a mistake that costs us a goal. When you don’t get it right, you end up paying for it. What hurts me most of all is the lack of a better second half. »

Next up for Madrid is Tuesday night’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Bayern Munich.

Arbeloa is adamant that today’s defeat will not damage the team’s mentality ahead of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu.

« He said: ‘No. I know what my players are capable of. We understand the importance of the game on Tuesday. There are days when it’s not your day, when things don’t work out. On Tuesday the demand will be maximum and I know the support the Real Madrid fans will give us. Everything is easier with them.’

Muriqi made up for the double disappointment with the winner

It was a dark day for Madrid, but a happy one for Mallorca, and in particular Murique, who missed a 92nd-minute penalty that would have given his side a draw in Elche in the last leg.

He also had to deal with Kosovo’s play-off defeat by Turkey on Tuesday night, which denied his country a place at this summer’s World Cup finals.

He was visibly emotional after the goal, telling Movistar afterwards: « It’s been a very difficult two weeks… the emotions and the nerves. I’m human. I just missed a penalty in Elche in a difficult game. Then I lost the final to qualify with Kosovo for the World Cup, which was the dream of my life. Today with this goal, a 2-1 win… Thank you so much to the fans for the huge support and what I you gave, I hope we stay in Primera.