We earned a hard-fought goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao as a red card for Samu Costa in the 24th minute saw us play the majority of the game with 10 men.
Jagoba Arrasate provided little surprise with his starting XI and opted for Martin Valjent in central defence next to Antonio Raíllo, while Vedat Muriqi led the line alongside Cyle Larin.
We almost got off to a dream start when Muriqi tested Unai Simon from close range with the goal at his mercy in the second minute.
Samu Costa was given a straight card in the 12th minute only to have this reduced to a caution after a VAR review, although he would receive his marching orders not long after for a second bookable offence.
Nico Williams thought he had given the visitors the lead moments before the break when he headed home from close range, although his goal was ruled out after a replay showed the ball had gone out of play in the build up.
Athletic Club would try their luck from distance after the restart but their attempts did not force Dominik Grief into action of note.
Chances were few and far between as we battled hard to reduce the Basque side to half chances and shots from range, eliminating space in behind with a solid defensive structure.
Nico Williams would continue to be a threat throughout the game however and would come closest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a curling effort.
While Íñigo Ruiz de Galarreta received a positive reception upon his return to Son Moix, the midfielder had fans with their hearts in their mouths when his powerful effort went just wide of the post in the dying moments of the game.
There was relief at full time as we held on for a deserved point to ensure we remain in the contention for a place in Europe after 11 games played.
Line-ups:
Athletic Club: Julen Agirrezabala, Andoni Gorosabel (Óscar De Marcos, min 82), Yeray, Aitor Paredes (Dani Vivian, min 45), Yuri Berchiche, Ruíz de Galarreta (Ander Herrera, min 70), Mikel Jauregizar, Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet (Álex Berenguer, min 57), Nico Williams, Gorka Guruzeta (Djaló Dias, min 57)
RCD Mallorca: Dominik Greif, Pablo Maffeo, Martin Valjent, Antonio Raillo, Johan Mojica, Robert Navarro (Dani Rodríguez, min 65), Manu Morlanes (Copete, min 92), Samu Costa (Doble tarjeta amarilla), Sergi Darder (Antonio Sánchez, min 45), Vedat Muriqi (Abdón Prats, min 92), Cyle Larin (Omar Mascarell, min 25).
