RCD Mallorca secured a vital point in their pursuit of La Liga survival as they held Sevilla to a tightly-contested stalemate at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, extending the hosts’ disappointing home form to one win in five league matches.
Coming into the contest on the back of a 6-2 defeat against fellow relegation strugglers Granada, ‘Los Piratas’ knew a positive start was imperative against their third-placed hosts. However, it was Sevilla who looked the brighter of the two sides in the early exchanges, with Rafa Mir twice going close.
After a largely uneventful opening half-hour, both teams looked to up the ante before HT, but a distinct lack of quality in the final third continued to prove frustrating. The best opportunity fell to Diego Carlos, who could only direct a good headed chance from inside the penalty area over the bar.
Frustrated by his side’s abject first-half display, Julen Lopetegui made a double substitution in the early stages of the second period in the hope of breaking the deadlock, introducing Thomas Delaney and Youssef En-Nesyri. However, it was Mallorca who came closest to taking the lead, as Vedat Muriqi saw a close-range effort superbly thwarted by Bono in the Sevilla goal.
With time ticking into the final 15 minutes, both sides looked for some late inspiration to secure a valuable three points. Despite sustained periods of possession and late chances for Anthony Martial and En-Nesyri, the visitors’ rearguard held firm to earn a well-deserved share of the spoils.
The draw leaves Mallorca two points adrift of safety with two matches remaining. Meanwhile, Sevilla have Champions League qualification firmly in their hands with a five-point buffer over fifth-placed Real Betis.
