"Real Mallorca have completed the comeback... This goal came in the 6th minute of the second half, and they've played quite well during this time! Despite conceding a goal to Monaco just over a minute into the game, Mallorca has dominated since then, leaving Monaco with no chance to retaliate, scoring twice off set pieces! However, a 2-1 lead is not safe for Mallorca; even if they win with this score, they'll face much stronger pressure away from home."
"Even so, Mallorca's performance is surprising... Monaco is currently the leader of Ligue 1, while Mallorca had just escaped the bottom of La Liga. To take the lead in such a difficult situation is no small feat. But maybe we shouldn't be so shocked, because last season, Mallorca reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup under Cooper's leadership, and although Cooper is no longer at Mallorca this season, the newly appointed José seems to have found the team's old style. After a series of victories in the league, Mallorca is also showing their previous form in the UEFA Cup!"
Puel furrowed his brow, watching as the game resumed—he was now in a dilemma. Should he reinforce the defense? Mallorca's direct and reckless dribbling attacks that draw fouls are almost Monaco's defensive kryptonite. Both center-backs are aggressive, but the midfielders are not strong enough, and continuing to defend would just tire them out more.
But if he pushed forward with an attack, Mallorca could launch a counterattack. That would make Monaco's defense vulnerable to fast breaks—just from the first half, Eto'o had already shown Puel the individual ability of Mallorca's forward.
At this moment, Puel had no other choice.
"Push forward! Attack, score as many goals as possible!" Puel stood up and shouted from the sidelines.
José remained calmly seated, not even glancing at Puel, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
So far, all of Monaco's responses had been exactly as José had predicted.
He discreetly made a gesture to Natal, who nodded understandingly, stood up, and walked to the sideline, signaling for the team to regroup.
The Mallorca players understood the gesture and nodded, and immediately, the entire team's strategy shifted dramatically!
Full retreat!
The five or six older players in the back started walking back into the 30-meter defensive zone, while the attacking players also dropped deeper. Apart from the tall and fast strikers near the midfield circle, even Stankovic and Ibagasa began dropping deep to strengthen the defense on the wings...
This sudden, dramatic shift left Puel stunned.
In an instant, Mallorca had gone from a reckless team that would charge forward no matter the cost to a seasoned, battle-hardened defensive side...
It was clear to Puel now—Mallorca was still that team that had dominated Europe with counterattacks under Cooper's leadership!
But now, even if Puel realized it, what could he do? He was stuck in a tough spot!
With Mallorca's newfound defensive strength, even if they won 2-1 at home, they could easily hold a 0-0 draw away! After seeing their solid defensive reaction, Puel had no doubts they could manage it!
He could only hope that his team's attack could find a goal and secure a draw with an away goal, so they could win at home.
But Mallorca's defense was unexpectedly solid—this was the greatest asset Cooper left for the team.
Nadal and Nino tightly marked Monaco's forwards, Simeone and Pulshaw. Nino dealt with Pulshaw, while Nadal focused on Simeone, old versus old, strong versus strong. Soler and N'Gonga protected the box, preventing Galardo's late runs. After Stankovic dropped deeper, Olejnik had no trouble handling Jukili—he didn't need to fully shut him down, just prevent him from cutting inside, something Olejnik's experience and positioning could handle easily.
Monaco attacked fiercely for seven or eight minutes but couldn't create any real chances. Meanwhile, Mallorca's counterattacks became more dangerous.
In the 67th minute, N'Gonga intercepted Galardo's pass and immediately launched a long ball!
Tristan outjumped Marques and headed the ball to Eto'o, who quickly charged forward. Marques gritted his teeth, desperately chasing Tristan.
Eto'o used his technique and speed to torment Cristanval. Unlike the furious Marques, Cristanval kept his cool, staying close to Eto'o despite being constantly outrun, ensuring he didn't break through on a one-on-one.
Reaching the 30-meter mark, Eto'o was starting to get frustrated with Cristanval, who had been sticking to him tightly. After receiving the ball, Eto'o turned, realizing he no longer had a direct breakthrough chance. He then spotted Tristan making a run, slightly pulling away from Marques, and passed the ball toward Tristan.
Tristan sprinted ahead and reached the ball just in time, swinging his right leg to take a shot!
Having just struggled with Tristan, Marques' anger had been building. He had been outmuscled in nearly every physical confrontation, and now his frustration boiled over...
At that moment, as Tristan swung his foot for the shot, Marques charged from the side and collided with him with all his might, knocking him down!
The stands, previously roaring with excitement, went silent!
"Damn it, that's a nasty foul!"
José was the first to jump up from the bench, waving his arms and shouting, while the stands erupted with boos and jeers!
Mallorca's substitutes rushed onto the field, yelling at the players, while on the pitch, both teams quickly rushed to the incident site!
The referee's whistle blew repeatedly as he hurried over. Clearly, the situation hadn't escalated into a brawl, but most of the Mallorca players had rushed over to check on Tristan, not looking for trouble with Marques.
Seeing no further escalation, the referee sighed with relief. He called Marques over, showing him a yellow card before pulling out the red one—two yellows equals one red. Marques was off the field!
The decision was unquestionable—Tristan had been in a clear position to shoot with only the goalkeeper, Barthez, to beat, making the foul worthy of a red card. The only dispute was whether it should be a penalty or a free kick...
"It's a penalty, Diego was fouled inside the box!" N'Gonga told the referee.
"It's a free kick, the foul was outside the box!" Monaco's captain Jukili disagreed.
The fans in the stands began chanting "Penalty! Penalty! Penalty!" trying to pressure the referee, but the Slovakian referee remained calm, pointing to the edge of the box—free kick!
A collective sigh of disappointment rippled through the Mallorca fans, but José just shrugged—he knew the foul occurred outside the box. No penalty was the correct decision. And even if there was some controversy, the fact that Monaco had a player sent off meant they'd already gained an advantage.
With a long way still to go in the match, Mallorca now had an absolute advantage. Scoring again would just come down to luck!
For José, his belief was simple: "I'll do everything I can, and as for luck, that's out of my hands."
The free kick ultimately failed to convert—Stankovic's shot missed the target, as it was too close and difficult...
With Monaco now down a man, the momentum shifted!
Puel substituted a center-back for forward Simeone, and Mallorca's defensive pressure eased. N'Gonga could now fully focus on organizing the attack. With the extra support from Soler and Nadal behind him, N'Gonga began orchestrating some brilliant moves, and Mallorca's attacking power grew exponentially!
Meanwhile, the substitute center-back couldn't handle Tristan's physicality, and Tristan quickly dominated him in a few one-on-one duels.
In the 72nd minute, N'Gonga delivered a direct pass to Tristan, who outmuscled the defender to head the ball to Eto'o—on a clear breakaway!
As Eto'o received the ball in the box, ready to shoot, Barthez came rushing out and fouled him, sending him to the ground. The referee's whistle blew sharply again!
Puel covered his face—Barthez's foul in the box would surely result in a penalty, and maybe even a red card for him...
However, the referee, perhaps feeling lenient after so many cards, only showed Barthez a yellow card after a brief warning.
Barthez nodded meekly, thankful to avoid a red card, and quickly left the scene.
José shook his head—sometimes referees can get overly soft-hearted... But as long as this penalty went in, the game would almost be decided.
Stankovic stepped up to take the penalty—everyone agreed he was the best choice to take it. If he scored, it would complete his first hat trick for Mallorca, a perfect birthday gift for the veteran midfielder!
Despite escaping a red card, Barthez couldn't stop the penalty. Stankovic calmly slotted it into the bottom right corner—3-1, Mallorca extended their lead!
"Oh, oh, oh! It's in! Jovan Stankovic! The Yugoslavian scores his third goal of the match, completing the hat trick! This is Stankovic's first-ever hat trick for Mallorca in five years. Although all three goals came from set pieces, it was a remarkable performance for this seasoned midfielder. With this performance, Stankovic has given himself the best birthday present! 3-1, Mallorca now holds a solid advantage in the two-legged tie!"