Hoping to register their first LaLiga victory in four matches, Rayo Vallecano began assertively, as visiting goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma was forced into several saves.
Cadiz, meanwhile, struggled to introduce themselves as an attacking force, as Ledesma's opposite number Stole Dimitrievski remained an observant spectator.
On the back of a creditable draw with Atletico Madrid in midweek, Vallecano continued to dominate proceedings in the Spanish capital, as Andoni Iraola’s side amassed close to two-thirds of possessions (63%).
However, three minutes before halftime Rayo were handed a glorious opportunity to take the lead when VAR recommended Alejandro Muniz Ruiz consult the on-field monitor following Iza Carcelen’s late challenge on Alvaro Garcia.
Unbelievably, it went from bad to worse for Cadiz even before Isi Palazon had taken the penalty, as Carcelen was shown a straight red card. Not to let the delay deter him, Palazon confidently stepped up to hand his side the lead.
However, there was more to come in an action-packed conclusion to the first half, as Garcia picked himself off the Estadio de Vallecas turf to unleash a fearsome strike past Ledesma in injury time, doubling Rayo’s advantage.
Having failed to register a shot on target with an hour gone, Sergio rolled the dice as Anthony Lozano and Lucas Perez were introduced into the fray.
However, the footballing gods were not in the mood to favour Cadiz, as moments later, Ruben Alcaraz received a second yellow card to reduce the visitors to nine before Florian Lejeune put the match to bed with a sensational free-kick.
Camello added a fourth in the 79th minute to further sink Cadiz before Ivan Balliu inadvertently put through his own net to wipe out Dimitrievski’s clean sheet.
Moments after Randy Nteka’s yellow card was upgraded to a straight red, Lejeune tapped in Camello’s flick-on for his second of the afternoon, helping Rayo move within a victory of the European qualification positions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Isi Palazon (Rayo Vallecano de Madrid)
