This time it was Tore Andre Flo and not Ryan Giggs who kept the tie alive but Chelsea suffered a worrying sense of deja vu as they were forced to endure a similar fate to Manchester United in their European quest at Stamford Bridge last night.
Chelsea were similarly outplayed in the opening 45 minutes of their Cup Winners' Cup semi-final first leg tie as the Spaniards produced an accomplished defensive performance and took the lead mid-way through the first-half.
Striker Dani, a £5 million target for the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds, was their tormentor and it was only the half-time arrival of substitute Flo which kept Chelsea's hopes alive.
The Norwegian made his customary impact from the bench to score his fifth goal of the season as a substitute and while his close-range strike came after just 50 minutes, rather than Giggs' late show at Old Trafford, it was just as vital.
The fact remains, however, that Chelsea face a mountain to climb in the second leg tie in a fortnight's time as they bid to become the first team to retain the trophy.
Mallorca started with a 4-4-2 formation, with their midfield in a neat diamond pattern, but flooded players forwards and back whenever they won or lost possession.
Chelsea were met with an imposing defensive barrier every time they ventured into their opponents' half and were far too often lured into shooting tamely from long distance.
In fact, the best opportunities they did manage to create were from set-pieces, with Marcel Desailly narrowly heading wide and Celestine Babayaro mis-hitting his shot into the ground after being left in space 10 yards out by a rare defensive mix-up.
Player-boss Gianluca Vialli, who picked himself instead of Flo, made little impact, Gianfranco Zola showed only touches of skill and there was too little width.
Mallorca, meanwhile, were content to soak up the Chelsea possession, getting bodies behind the ball, but then attacking with style and, on 30 minutes, to devastating effect.
The Chelsea back four were moving out when Veljko Paunovic's through-ball pierced their ranks and Dani instantly spun away from Desailly to capitalise by rounding goalkeeper Ed De Goey and driving his shot into the unguarded net. It was the classic European counter-attack.
Chelsea did then press forward with renewed determination but it was not until the half-time introduction of Flo for the ineffective Babayaro to form part of three-strong strikeforce that they finally got back into the game.
Indeed it was just five minutes after Flo's arrival that the Norwegian put them level, driving home a fierce shot into the roof of the net.
Dan Petrescu had swung over a cross which the diminutive Zola somehow managed to get his head to and defender Elena Marcelino panicked in planting a weak clearance straight at Flo's feet.
The Stamford Bridge crowd were suddenly reinvigorated and so were their team, with Dennis Wise only just failing to control a lobbed through-ball from Jody Morris.
With half an hour to go, Gustavo Poyet was also thrown into the fray despite only a 70th minute substitute's appearance at Charlton last weekend behind him following a three-month lay-off.
He also had a chance as quickly as Flo but placed his header from a Wise cross just wide and Vialli headed straight at Roa.
Mallorca regrouped though, even causing some anxious moments in the Chelsea back four with sporadic breakaways, and they weathered the storm.
CHELSEA: De Goey, Ferrer (Lambourde 80), Desailly, Leboeuf, Le Saux, Petrescu, Wise, Morris, Babayaro (Flo 46), Vialli, Zola (Poyet 60). Subs not used: Duberry, Hitchcock, Di Matteo, Nicholls. Booked: Desailly. Goals: Flo 50.
REAL MALLORMarcelino, M Soler, Lauren, Engonga, Paunovic, Ibagaza (Carreras 62), Dani, Biagini (F Soler 85). Subs not used: Galvez, Carlos, Arpon, Alberto, Lopez. Goals: Dani 31.
Referee: D Jol (Holland).
