Attacking Mallorca leave Huesca shellshocked

Mallorca came out of the blocks with all guns blazing and Lago Junior starting as a striker. We put the visitors under extreme pressure early doors. I've been banging on for weeks about Lago playing in the position he was signed to play in - striker -and on Sunday night he caused mayhem among the visiting defence. Many of the 8,500 crowd hadn't sat down before Mallorca went two up. Brandon looked sharp and put the islanders ahead after a neat head-flick pass from Lago. A few minutes later Culio put Lago through and his pace left Huesca's defence for dead. His effort came back off the post allowing Brandon a simple tap in. Huesca tried to get back into the game but our defence (after a few lapses against Lugo last Saturday) looked strong and snuffed out any threat from the visitors.

Half time came and we looked in easy street but all that was to change after the break. Once again we got sloppy, allowing Huesca back into the game but fortunately most of their attacks came to nothing. They began to push up and were caught on the counter attack in the 70th minute. After some great play between Culio and substitute Moutinho, Brandon had time to turn and bang in our third and his hat-trick.

It was a hectic last 15 minutes for Mallorca after Oriol was sent off after a second yellow card offence. The Palma side almost scored near the end when Moutinho saw Huesca's goalkeeper miles off his line but the long range lob went agonisingly wide.

Summing up: An injury-hit Huesca were shellshocked and never recovered from going 2-0 down so early in the game. This was only Real Mallorca's second win of the season but they did it in some style. At last coach Vazquez took a gamble which paid off, playing two up front - Lago Junior with Brandon Thomas - with Oscar Diaz playing just off them. Argentinian Juan Culio played in the hole and he was magnificent, putting in an unbelievable shift; this guy is quality. Bad news for Mallorca was the injury to Juan Rodriguez after 27 minutes. He looks likely to be on the treatment table for a couple of weeks. But it was Brandon Thomas's night and he deserved all the plaudits at the end as he took home the match ball. Not since 3 March 2008 has a Mallorca player scored a hat-trick in the Son Moix. Back then it was Juan Arango (now at New York Cosmos) who was the hero in a 7-1 drubbing of Huelva. Brandon has become only the second Majorca-born player to hit a hat-trick since Joan Cifre in 1968.

One theory mentioned after the game as to the reason why we suddenly hit form and scored three goals was the presence of one of our American owners, Andy Kohlberg, in the directors' box. The question asked was whether Vazquez was told to play a more attacking formation to please Andy. If that was the case then he should be present at all the home games because the difference was tangible. We looked a much better outfit on Sunday although we took the foot off the gas after the break, allowing Huesca back into the game.