VIDEO: Watch Real Madrid midfielder conjure worst miss of 2024

Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz suffered a moment of embarrassment in Los Blancos’ 1-0 win over Real Mallorca that is bound to give the Spanish midfielder sleepless nights.

Despite dominating possession, Real Madrid found it challenging to break down Mallorca's defence in the first half. Notable attempts by Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo failed to find the net as the league leaders grew desperate for an opening goal.

Los Blancos were certain they were about to take the lead in the second half when a golden chance fell to Diaz, but the former AC Milan man was unable to convert from point-blank range.

After Rodrygo's initial shot was saved, Diaz, who was brought on as a substitute for Vinicius Jr., appeared set to score from the rebound. Incredibly, his header hit the inside of the post and rolled across the goal line without going in​​​​.

This miss could have been costly for Real Madrid, but Antonio Rudiger spared Diaz' blushes. In the 78th minute, Rudiger capitalised on a corner from Luka Modric to score the only goal of the match with a powerful header.

This goal was Rudiger's first in La Liga since September 2022 and proved crucial, lifting Real Madrid to the top of the La Liga table with 48 points, three points clear of Girona​​​​.

Mallorca, on the other hand, put up a resilient defensive performance and even came close to scoring with two attempts that hit the woodwork. Despite their efforts, they couldn't find the back of the net, and Real Madrid secured a narrow victory​​​​.

The victory extended Real Madrid’s unbeaten run in the competition and kept them at the top of the table in a tight La Liga title race​​​​.