Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano: Real Madrid has booked a narrow victory over fellow townsman Rayo Vallecano. Rodrygo shot his team to victory shortly before the end. Carlo Ancelotti’s team hopes to finish above Atlético Madrid this season, but is dependent on the rival losing points.
Real Madrid chose to rest Vinicius
At Real Madrid there was a big absentee: Vinícius Júnior. There was a lot to do for him these past few days. He picked up a red card against Valencia, but was also found to have been racially abused in that match. As a result, his red card was canceled this week, but he was nevertheless not present against Rayo Vallecano. The players of Real Madrid decided in advance to show their support for their teammate by entering the field in the shirt of the Brazilian.
The lack of Vinícius became clear in the first half due to the home team’s lack of creativity. Real Madrid kept calm in the opening phase, but took the lead after a good half hour. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano gave a dropped ball and rolled it to Real Madrid. The players of Rayo Vallecano were clearly not prepared for that, because within two passes Karim Benzema was suddenly in front of the keeper.
He outplayed goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski to give Real Madrid the lead, much to the fury of the away side’s players. Before the break, the number two of La Liga became dangerous one more time, but at the supreme moment Rodrygo tripped over his own legs without an opponent nearby.
Second half
In a less than uplifting second half, Real Madrid only managed to create danger in dribs and drabs, but it hardly got into trouble itself.
Yet it seemed to go wrong for Real Madrid a few minutes before the end. Substitute Raul de Thomas received the ball from Pep Chavarria, shot through Aurélien Tchouaméni’s legs with a concealed attempt and outwitted Thibaut Courtois in the short corner. While De Thomas seemed to have taken on his hero role, Rodrygo made it 2-1 shortly afterwards. He pulled in and shot the ball low diagonally against the ropes.
Due to the victory, Real Madrid (at the moment) is ahead of Atlético Madrid, which will play later on Wednesday. Those two teams are still fighting for second place in the Spanish league. The difference between second and third place is especially significant from a financial point of view.
