RCD Mallorca kicked-off the new decade at Son Moix in style with a 4-1 victory over Valencia CF.
Vicente Moreno made three changes to the side which advanced to the round of 32 in the Copa del Rey against Zamora CF, introducing Manolo Reina, Lago Junior and Dani Rodriguez in favour of Fabricio, Aleksandar Sedlar and Aleix Febas.
We got off to a dream start seven minutes into our first game back in front of the home faithful following the new year as Antonio Raillo was left unmarked in the box to head home Salva Sevilla’s whipped free-kick.
Smelling blood as we continued to press, Ante Budimir doubled our advantage in the 22nd minute by deflecting Dani Rodríguez’s piledriver into the bottom corner past an outstretched Jaume Doménech.
Son Moix’s opening goal of the new decade and Budimir’s seventh strike of the season put us in the ascendancy, with Dani Rodríguez once again afforded space to launch wide a powerful effort and Cucho Hernández constantly looking to race in behind the visitors’ defence.
We concluded an impressive first half of football in an emphatic manner as a neat exchange between Lago Junior and Salva Sevilla saw Budimir latch onto a through ball before the forward dropped his shoulder, left Mouctar Diakhaby trailing and added a third minutes before the interval.
Things went from bad to worse for Los Che after the restart as Dani Parejo received his marching orders for a second bookable offence in the 51st minute.
Not content with the healthy lead we had, Dani Rodríguez seemed determined to get himself on the scoresheet but was unable to get his rasping drive the right side of the far post from the edge of the area.
The midfielder would finally get his goal at the third time of asking, launching an unstoppable shot from 25-yards-out into the bottom corner.
We weren’t able to see out the full 90 minutes with a clean sheet as Ferran Torres pulled back a small token of consolation for the visitors late on, although it wouldn’t dampen our post-match joy amidst constant torrential rain.
RCD Mallorca: Reina, Lumor, Valjent, Raíllo, Gámez, Baba, Salva Sevilla (69’), Dani Rodríguez, Lago Junior (80’), Cucho Hernández (63’), Budimir
Substitutes: Fabrico, Pedraza, Xisco Campos, Pozo (63’), Kubo (80’), Abdón, Febas (69’)
Valencia CF: Doménech, Wass, Gabriel Paulista, Diakhaby, Gayá, Carlos Soler, Parejo, Coquelin, Cheryshev (43’), Maxi Gómez, Gameiro (61’)
Substitutes: Cillessen, Jaume Costa, Mangala, Kondogbia, Kang In (61’), Sobrino, Ferran (43’)
Goals: Antonio Raillo, 1-0 (7’), Ante Budimir, 2-0 (22’); 3-0, (41’) Dani Rodríguez 4-0, (79’); Ferran, 4-1 (82’)
