Mallorca score late winner to beat Real Betis and continue strong start to season
Betis celebrated the life of club member number one Juan Antonio Campos Camacho prior to the game, after he passed away aged 88 on Thursday. He will have seen some special goals during his lengthy affiliation with the club, and it was fitting that Giovani Lo Celso rifled home left-footed after only six minutes to match the very best.
Clearly high on confidence after his double over Getafe, the Argentinian only had one thing on his mind after picking the ball up in midfield, leaving Dominik Greif rooted to the spot as the ball sailed into the top corner.
Los Verdiblancos hadn’t lost in 11 when going ahead, but their lead lasted all of 82 seconds, disintegrating when they were caught napping by a swift counter. Though swamped with pressure, Cyle Larin showed his class by controlling and shielding the ball well, before putting a reverse pass on a plate for Rodriguez to roll home.
But the half's entertainment wasn’t over there, with rookie referee Victor Garcia showing a red card to Lo Celso after a hard but fair challenge, only to reverse it on a VAR review. He also ruled out an offside Pirates goal before the break.
Just as they had done in the first half, Manuel Pellegrini’s men flew out of the blocks in the second with Abde Ezzalzouli showcasing his silky skills. After latching onto Hector Bellerin’s crossfield pass, the Moroccan’s exquisite first touch took him inside the defender before curling goalbound. Alongside his team's entire bench, Ezzalzouli was already celebrating before the ball agonisingly met both posts and rolled to safety.
Such was the end-to-end nature of the latter minutes, that a late decider looked inevitable. Robert Navarro missed a glorious opportunity with his head when seemingly unmarked in the box before Lo Celso once again went close from distance.
When it looked like the game was finally fizzling out, Valery Fernandez strolled around the back unmarked following a corner to plant his effort into the bottom corner.
Thanks to the late win, Mallorca have recorded their best start to a La Liga season in 12 years.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Samu Costa (Mallorca)
