The German defender scored a late goal to put his team three points ahead of Girona, who came as a surprise.

Real Madrid beat Mallorca 1-0 on Wednesday night, with Antonio Rudiger scoring a vital late goal. Jude Bellingham, who usually plays a key role in the defense, was absent for large parts of the game.

The home team was having a tough time because it looked like they wouldn’t score for a long time. However, a set piece won a crucial win.

When Vinicius Jr. came back into the game, he had the first big chance. He took a pass from Luka Modric and saw his shot go just inside the post. Soon after, the Brazilian had another shot saved, which summed up a mostly disappointing first half for Real Madrid.

It was Mallorca’s turn to attack, and Antonio Sanchez sent the ball off the base of the bar and further away from goal. Samu Costa also had a chance, but his shot hit the base of the post.

Still, it looked like Real was going to lose this game. In the middle of the second half, Brahim Diaz hit the post from just outside the box. When Joselu came on, the home team took control. But Carlo Ancelotti’s team won it with a corner kick. Rudiger scored the goal with a beautiful header that went into the far corner and stopped goalie Predrag Rajkovic in his tracks.

Even though it wasn’t pretty, this is very important. Real Madrid now has three points more than second-placed Girona, even though the Catalans have a game in hand.

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