Sergio Ramos's Sensational Free Kick Helps Real Madrid Go Back Atop La Liga

Real Madrid returned to the top spot in La Liga with a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Mallorca, a match marked by Sergio Ramos's stunning free kick and the debut of the youngest player in La Liga history.

After Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Real Madrid–a play whose sequence started with a non-call on a potential Dani Carvajal foul, only for Luka Modric to slip the Brazilian teen a pass and for him to chip the goalkeeper–Ramos's free kick effectively put the result to rest.

The Spanish veteran put his 23-yard, right-footed kick in the upper left-hand corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and doubling Real Madrid's advantage in the 56th minute.

The win brought Real Madrid level on points with Barcelona but ahead on the tiebreaker, with Real having the better head-to-head record against the defending champions. With no more Clasicos remaining this season, there will be a great deal of scoreboard watching between the two sides. Barcelona plays before Real Madrid in each of the next two matchdays, with Real Madrid not playing before Barcelona when both are level on games played until July 5.

The result was a blow to Mallorca and its relegation hopes, but it did include history for La Liga. Luka Romero, at 15 years and 219 days, became the youngest player in league history when he came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute.

Romero, born in Mexico, has played for Argentina U-15 team and was going to play for its U-17 team in a tournament canceled by the pandemic. He also has Spanish eligibility.