Los Franjirrojos have already proved that they are not afraid to duel with LL’s elite this season, drawing with Barcelona and Atlético Madrid before tasting victory away to Sevilla in their last fixture. Up next were reigning champions Real Madrid, who made the 10 kilometre journey across the Spanish capital, and once again the hosts’ high intensity worked wonders to race into a fifth-minute lead. A swift team move was dispatched by Santi Comesaña from Fran García’s cross, using superb technique to hit the ball on the bounce so that it swerved away from Thibaut Courtois into the bottom right corner.
Rayo then looked more likely to double their lead, though wasted shots from long range would see them go into HT on level terms as three goals came in a frantic final eight minutes to the first half. Los Blancos flipped the game on its head against the run of play thanks to Luka Modrić, who sent Stole Dimitrievski the wrong way from the penalty spot following a contentious foul on Marco Asensio by García, and Éder Militão, who headed in from a corner to complete the comeback. Though just as it seemed the visitors would escape with an unlikely lead, Álvaro García punished them for failing to clear moments before the break, latching onto a loose ball to fire in despite Courtois managing to get a touch.
García’s name on the scoresheet was a good omen for the home side heading into the second half, as he netted in their two victories prior to this clash. Their uncommon dominance over their opponents continued, and was eventually rewarded with a spot kick of their own. Dani Carvajal was penalised for handball as Isi Palazón attempted to control in the box, and Óscar Trejo showed nerve to dispatch his retaken attempt from 12 yards after a flustered Carvajal encroached whilst Courtois saved the initial effort.
This left 23 minutes for Rayo to calm things down in order to claim an extremely rare scalp, though this matter wasn’t helped by head coach Iraola being shown a straight red card on the touchline amidst all the drama. On the other hand Carlo Ancelotti’s side were far from their usual best, and their perfect LL record was severely at risk. Ultimately, they were unable to muster another fightback, succumbing to a well-deserved Rayo victory.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Santi Comesaña (Rayo Vallecano)
