"His substitution changed the game", "Assist this season is not real" - Fans praise Real Madrid star after 2-1 win over Mallorca
Fans on social media praised Jesus Vallejo for his performance during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid and Mallorca on Wednesday (May 14). The 28-year-old pulled off an incredible cameo from the bench as Los Blancos came from behind to secure a last-gasp 2-1 win at Santiago Bernabeu.
After a 4-3 defeat to Barcelona in LaLiga on Sunday (May 11), losing to Mallorca would have seen Real Madrid hand over the title to their archrivals, La Blaugrana. However, Mallorca were unfazed by their underdog status as they took the game to the hosts, taking a lead in the 11th minute.
Dani Ceballos failed to cut Mateu Morey’s pass to Martin Valjent, who kept his composure, slotting the ball into the far corner. Although Real Madrid fought back, they couldn’t find the back of the net before the break.
In the second half, the hosts increased their intensity and leveled the score in the 68th minute, courtesy of Kylian Mbappe. Luka Modric found the Frenchman, who wriggled past a pair of defenders and scored his 40th goal of the season. Los Blancos continued to crank up the pressure but were restricted in the final third by Mallorca’s resilient defense.
Mbappe could have scored the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute, but his effort was thwarted by Valjent. Following a corner, substitute Jesus Vallejo flicked a header into Mallorca’s box, and academy forward Jacobo Ramon outwitted his marker to give Real Madrid a last-ditch win (90+5').
In the 26 minutes spent on the pitch, Vallejo made two clearances, one recovery, won three out of four aerial duels, and received a rating of 7.2, as per Sofascore. Also, his assist was his first for Los Blancos senior team.
After the match, fans lauded his performance on X (formerly Twitter), with one writing:
"Vallejo's substitution changed the game😭."
Another tweeted:
"Vallejo assist this season is not real."
"I am happy for Vallejo," @Babangiida1 wrote.
"Shoutout to Vallejo the goat with the assist," @StutterBoy19 added.
"Vallejo with the clutch assist. He puts a tight slap on his critics," @trappizt chimed in.
"My goat Vallejo 😭😭 Build him a statue," @RmaUltra wrote.
"His attitude has always been first class" – Carlo Ancelotti on Jesus Vallejo after Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against Mallorca
After their hard-fought victory against Mallorca, Carlo Ancelotti commended Jesus Vallejo’s attitude towards his insufficient game time at the club. Vallejo joined Los Blancos from Real Zaragoza in 2015 but has found game time hard to come by. Additionally, his time at the Spanish capital has been marred by loan moves.
Speaking on Vallejo in the post-match press conference, Ancelotti said (via the club's official website):
"He has played very little but his attitude has always been first class every day and in every training session. Maybe he deserved to play more, but it was difficult because, as I have said before, we have decided to give priority to young players like Asencio."
Real Madrid remain in the second position in the league table. They would say goodbye to the title if Barcelona defeat Espanyol on Thursday (May 15).
