The moment Muriqi scores Mallorca’s equalizer / CATI CLADERA / EFE
“I couldn’t even remember El Clásico was on tonight. I couldn’t care less.” That phrase echoed in Son Moix during halftime of Mallorca vs. Villarreal.
Hundreds of miles away, one of the biggest matches in the world was being played, but in Palma, no one had the mental space for it. When you’re fighting relegation, nothing else exists.
“If we win this game and this other one, is that enough to survive?” That is now the most repeated conversation across half of Spain. Fans arrive at the stadium and pull out their calculators before even looking at the lineup.
In a normal season, 40 points is the target; in this almost schizophrenic campaign, even 43 may not be enough. From 13th-placed Sevilla with 40 points to second-to-last Levante with 36, there are only four points difference. No one is safe and no one is relegated yet. Only Oviedo, with 28 points, seems resigned to their fate, though they still have mathematical chances if they win everything.
Inflation has hit football too: survival has never been more expensive.
Mallorca vs. Villarreal in pictures / AGENCIES
On Sunday we were at Son Moix, one of the stadiums that has the most to say in this end of season. Mallorca were looking for a victory to reach 41 points. The vermilions faced a Villarreal team with nothing to play for, and their own fans — they had won 29 of their 38 points at home before this matchday.
Mallorca didn’t achieve their goal, they didn’t escape the relegation zone, but they did earn a point that, given how tight everything is, could prove crucial at the end of the season. The draw against the yellow submarine left everything even more level, if possible, but there are emotions only felt inside the stadium.
In Son Moix, Sánchez-Pizjuán, Mendizorroza, RCDE Stadium… in these seven stadiums, fans have no room in their heads for anything other than survival. People simulating possible results for the end of the season, fans who spent all week thinking about their match, and even those who didn’t know what other game was being played that Sunday. No nails left to bite.
Even visiting fans and media seem more immersed in the fight for permanence than in their own team’s season. “With this team, you’ll definitely survive. It’s so tight,” said Villarreal fans who traveled to Son Moix.
The vermilions experienced an emotional roller coaster, just like their entire season. Before the match, everything was hope, encouragement, and excited fans. More than 1,500 Mallorca supporters gathered at the stadium entrance to welcome the team bus two hours before kickoff. Flares, scarves raised to the sky, and a communion between both sides.
Mallorca has performed this same ritual for three home games. The bus stops before entering the venue, where all the fans are, and at that moment the players get off. They don’t enter by bus; they walk in among their people. A perfect way to have everyone connected from the very first moment.
During the match, the least important thing is the match. The only thing that matters is adding points. Play well, play badly? That’s worth nothing when you’re fighting for your life. Three points at stake with only four games left; this is the life of eight Primera teams until the end of the season.
In May, survival ceases to be a table position. It becomes an obsession.
