Uros Djurdjevic’s goals either side of half-time saw us slip to a 2-0 defeat at Sporting Gijón as we suffered a loss for the first time this season away from home.
Luis García Plaza made one change to the side that beat FC Cartagena 2-1 a week ago at the Visit Mallora Estadi. Match winner Alvaro Gimenéz was preferred to Abdón to lead the line as Antonio Sánchez and Amath Ndiae joined him on the flanks.
Restricted to just a Salva Sevilla half-chance during the opening exchanges, Victor Campuzano later tested Manolo Reina to force a good stop.
We were unlucky to go a goal down in the 28th minute as a lengthy VAR review adjudged Antonio Sánchez to have shoved Javi Fuego at a corner. Uros Djurdjevic converted the resulting penalty.
Alvaro Gimenéz’s strike from a difficult angle was the closest we would come to finding a leveller before the break as we headed into the dressing room a goal down.
We struggled to get going after the restart as Sporting Gijón’s resolute defence made us wait until the hour mark before Antonio Sánchez managed to get a sight of goal which ended up off target.
Substitute Abdón came close to finding a late winner in the 78th minute when he flicked a header over the bar, before the striker was denied at the near post with an effort which was comfortably saved.
As we chased a goal, Djurdjevic struck on the counter in the 86th minute by lobbing Reina from distance. The strike would condemn us to a difficult defeat and prove to be one of the final noteworthy acts of the game.
RCD Mallorca: Reina; Sastre (68’), Raíllo, Valjent, Cufré; Baba (68’), Salva Sevilla (76’); Antonio Sánchez (62’), Dani Rodríguez; Amath, Álvaro Giménez (62’)
Substitutes: Parera, Oliván, Russo, Febas (68’), Abdón (62’), Murilo, Lago Junior, Fran Gámez (68’), Mboula (62’), Trajkovski (76’), Marc Cardona ,Mollejo.
Sporting Gijón: Mariño; Bogdan, Babin, Marc Valiente, Saúl García; Javi Fuego, Pedro Díaz (76’), Nacho Méndez (88’), Manu García (88’), Campuzano (68’), Djuka.
Substitutes: Gaspar (88’), Borja, Cumic, Pelayo Suarez, Pablo García, Pablo Pérez (68’), Aitor García (88’), Carmona, Gragera (76’), Ch.Sánchez, Cristian Salvador
Goals: Uros Djurdjevic 27’; 1-0, Uros Djurdjevic, 86’; 2-0
