Real Madrid did not falter at home this Sunday and got back into the fight for LaLiga thanks to a lackluster win against Rayo (2-1). Carlo Ancelotti's men took advantage of two sparks from Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. in the first half to resolve a rather dull match at the Santiago Bernabéu. Pedro Díaz brought the Vallecas side closer before halftime, but the 'merengues' held onto their lead in the second half despite some scares.

The hosts started with an intense rhythm, causing damage thanks to the breakthroughs of Rodrygo and Vini. Rayo warned with a header from Aridane that went just over the bar, while Batalla neutralized a couple of very dangerous chances for the visiting goal before the initial quarter of an hour was up. The '7' of Madrid sent a ball to the base of the post, just before Asencio nearly scored with a back pass that Lunin had to send to the corner.

Madrid resolved the match with two sparks in four minutes

Rayo seemed to settle on the green of Chamartín, but at the half-hour mark, the goals of the 'merengue' victory arrived. First, Mbappé took advantage of a good pass into space from Vinicius to dribble past Lejeune as he entered the area. The '9' got the ball with a bit of luck and found the space to unleash an unstoppable shot for Batalla. The visitors tried to react with a shot from Embarba in the next action, but Lunin caught it without any problem.

In the 34th minute, the best goal of the evening arrived, scored by Vini. The '7' appeared on the left, leaving Ratiu and Lejeune behind with several feints to finish with a precise shot to the near post, impossible for Batalla. In a flurry of four minutes, Madrid resolved the match and was heading towards a comfortable victory over their neighbors from Vallecas. However, the team led by Iñigo Pérez managed to put up a fight until the end.

Rayo scored before stoppage time and kept Madrid on edge until the end

When the first half seemed to be dying without further shocks in the areas, after a couple of chances from Gumbau and Álvaro García resolved with difficulty by the white defense, Pedro Díaz appeared with a long-range shot that ended up in the net after violently hitting the crossbar. Initially, the main referee Hernández Maeso signaled offside, but VAR indicated that there was no offside and, on the contrary, the ball had clearly crossed the goal line.

The Rayo's goal gave a second wind to the Vallecas side, who immediately after the restart generated danger in the rival area with arrivals from Embarba and Álvaro García. Carlo Ancelotti's men responded with a shot from Mbappé that grazed the post, but the Italian coach had no choice but to bring on Fede Valverde for Rodrygo to strengthen a midfield that was overwhelmed for long stretches of the second half. 

Iñigo Pérez responded with the introductions of Trejo, Balliu, and Óscar Valentín, presenting his aspirations to seek the equalizer. In the final stretch, for the hosts, Camavinga and Brahim also came on for Mbappé and Jude Bellingham. The Englishman was completely absent in his return after two matches suspended. In the end, Hernández Maeso gave the whites a hand with just 3 minutes of stoppage time, avoiding prolonging the agony of a Madrid that ended up suffering some whistles due to the siege from their rival.

With the victory, Madrid once again equals Barça in the standings with 57 points and regains second place thanks to Atlético's surprising defeat at Getafe (2-1). Now, the azulgrana team will have the opportunity to extend their lead at the top if they manage to earn three points against Osasuna. The match in Montjuïc still does not have a defined date. For the Madrid teams, it's now time to focus on the Champions League rematch next Wednesday at the Metropolitano.

Technical sheet of the match Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano

  • Real Madrid, 2: Lunin; Lucas, Alaba, Asencio, Fran García; Tchouaméni, Modric, Bellingham (min. 85, Brahim); Rodrygo (min. 68, Valverde), Vinicius and Mbappé (min. 79, Camavinga).
  • Rayo, 1: Batalla; Espino (min. 85, Guardiola), Aridane, Lejeune, Ratiu; Ciss (min. 85, López), Díaz (min. 70, Balliu), Chavarría, Gumbau (min. 70, Trejo); Embarba (min. 70, Valentín) and García.
  • Goals: 1-0, Kylian Mbappé (min. 30); 2-0, Vinicius Jr. (min. 34); 2-1, Pedro Díaz (min. 45+2).
  • Referee: Francisco José Hernández Maeso. Cautioned Gerard Gumbau from Rayo. Validated a goal from Pedro Díaz thanks to VAR intervention. In Madrid, cautioned Vinicius for protesting, as well as Tchouaméni and Modric.
  • Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid).
  • Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 27 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25.