I Am Jose-Chapter 116 - : Turning the Tables

"Mallorca takes the lead on the road! A brilliant chip from Luke breaks the deadlock! After sixty minutes of stalemate, the first goal has finally arrived. But it's not the home side, Real Madrid, that has scored—it's the visitors, Mallorca!"

"Thirty minutes remain! If Madrid can't score at least two goals while keeping Mallorca from finding the net, their perfect home record will end at seven wins. Their overall winning streak will stop at eight. This is a golden opportunity for Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and Barcelona to close the gap! And even Mallorca—though currently fourteen points behind Madrid—would cut into that lead with a victory here..."

Despite Mallorca's recent strong form—winning six of their last eight matches—Madrid had been even more dominant, stringing together eight consecutive victories. This growing gap was exactly why José hadn't placed too much weight on this match's result. Right now, Mallorca wasn't a direct competitor for Madrid. Their true rivals were Valencia, Deportivo, and Barcelona, while Mallorca was battling for position against the likes of Rayo Vallecano, Málaga, Alavés, and Las Palmas—the difference between Champions League contenders and UEFA Cup hopefuls.

However, beating Madrid could propel Mallorca into that elite group. That was why José took this game seriously.

Important? Yes. Essential? Not necessarily. That was how Mallorca approached the match, playing with high energy but without crippling pressure. And now, with a 1-0 lead, they were being rewarded for it.

Following the restart, Madrid pressed forward aggressively, while Mallorca, under José's instructions, dropped into a compact defensive shape.

The fullbacks stopped pushing forward, and with three midfielders sitting deep, Mallorca swiftly shifted from contesting midfield battles to executing a tight defensive blockade.

Five minutes later, José made his first substitution. Campano replaced George. Attacking from the fullback position was no longer necessary, and while Campano could contribute offensively, his greatest strengths were his defensive work rate and physicality—qualities George lacked.

With Campano on the right, Mallorca finally stabilized that flank. He wasn't the fastest player, but he was solid. Unlike George, whose declining acceleration often left him vulnerable to Carlos' bursts of speed, Campano had better defensive positioning. He wasn't going to stop Carlos outright, but he could contain him and deny him easy inside routes.

Another five minutes passed before José made a second substitution—one that caught many by surprise. Delgado came on for Luke, the goal scorer.

José had deliberately left Gamarra out of the starting lineup, keeping Delgado as a secret weapon. Though Delgado had fallen out of favor since José's arrival—lacking Luke's technique and being neither as fast nor as clinical as Eto'o—he still had a role to play. In cup competitions, he saw more minutes, but his non-EU status was a major hurdle. With Kaladze, Ronaldinho, and Eto'o all indispensable starters, either he or Gamarra had to sit out, and Gamarra, with his defensive versatility, often got the nod.

Still, José had no intention of wasting a player Mallorca had spent €2 million on. Delgado was a powerful presence up front, and even if he didn't score, he could serve as a crucial tactical piece.

When defending deep, counterattacks require a target man. Trying to break quickly with intricate passing in tight spaces was risky and easily intercepted. A towering forward gave the defense a clear outlet—someone to aim long balls at, hold up play, and disrupt Madrid's backline. Even if he simply flicked the ball on for Eto'o to chase, that alone could wreak havoc.

Madrid struggled against this approach. Mallorca's counterattacks weren't sophisticated—just long balls upfield—but they had to respect them. A single successful flick-on could send Eto'o racing through on goal, causing chaos.

In response, Vicente del Bosque made two substitutions. Steve McManaman replaced Geremi, while Munitis came on for Savio to add more width. At this point, Del Bosque regretted selling Eto'o. He had no viable attacking options left on the bench.

Mallorca tightened their defense even further. Then, in the 80th minute, José made his final change—Ronaldinho came off for Marcos. With that move, Mallorca now had four purely defensive midfielders on the pitch, sealing up any remaining gaps.

Ronaldinho wasn't thrilled about being subbed off, but José reassured him with a pat on the shoulder. Against Claude Makélélé's suffocating marking, Ronaldinho had struggled to influence the game, but his presence had still been invaluable. His movement had occupied Madrid's defenders, giving teammates space. Just as Eto'o's presence distracted Madrid's center-backs, creating the opening for Luke's goal, Ronaldinho had played his part in the team's success.

Football is a collective effort—sometimes, one player's sacrifice allows another to shine.

With Ronaldinho off, Madrid threw everything forward. Even veteran center-back Fernando Hierro ventured past midfield, desperate to break Mallorca's defense. They no longer cared about conceding; they just wanted to avoid defeat.

But their reckless desperation led to their downfall.

Madrid's relentless attacks piled pressure on Mallorca's defense, making counterattacks difficult. Unlike the chaotic, rebuilding Barcelona side from earlier in the season, Madrid's offense was well-structured and dangerous.

Still, attacking relentlessly doesn't mean being flawless. The more Madrid pushed forward, the more they exposed themselves to the inevitable mistake.

The moment came in the 90th minute.

Luis Figo whipped in a cross, but Nino got to it first, heading the ball away before Fernando Morientes could react. Engonga won the second ball ahead of Munitis and quickly played it to Motta, who wasted no time launching a long pass forward.

Delgado, muscling Hierro aside, controlled the ball on his chest. Iván Helguera rushed in to help, but instead of flicking it on as expected, Delgado let the ball drop and—just as it hit the ground—flicked it backward with his heel.

Everyone had underestimated him. They saw him as just a brute-force target man, forgetting he was South American.

Though not the most technical player, years spent in Latin American football had sharpened his instincts. His unexpected touch sent the ball spinning into Madrid's half.

Eto'o, who had been waiting for this moment for 90 minutes—no, since the day Madrid cast him aside—roared into action.

He owed Madrid for his career, but he also resented how they had discarded him. How many times had he watched from the bench, yearning to set foot on this hallowed turf? Yet, most of the time, all he could do was watch others wear the white shirt and play under the Bernabéu's lights.

Now, he was running across this pitch. But he wore red and black.

The Madrid fans gasped, but Eto'o didn't hear them. He had one goal in mind.

With the ball rolling ahead of him, he surged forward, a blur of speed. Madrid's defenders had no chance of catching him. The only obstacle left was his old youth-team teammate—Iker Casillas.

They had grown up in the same academy, born just months apart. Both were once regarded as the future of Madrid. But Casillas had always been the golden boy, the beloved prospect. Eto'o? He had been an afterthought.

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Now, they faced off as enemies.

Casillas rushed off his line, but Eto'o was already inside the box. He didn't hesitate. He didn't try to dribble past the keeper. Instead, he struck early, side-footing a precise shot toward the far corner.

Speed. Precision. No time for reaction.

Casillas dropped low, stretching out a leg in desperation, but he was too late. The ball rolled past him, kissed the inside of the post, and nestled into the net.

In stoppage time, Eto'o had his revenge.

Mallorca 2, Real Madrid 0. Game over.