Real Madrid won with a final score of 2-1 against Rayo Vallecano, in the 22nd round of the Spanish championship, after the “los blancos” “delivered the decisive blow” in the 90+10th minute, when Kylian Mbappe scored from the penalty spot and secured the three points for the “galactics”. Before this event, Vinicius Junior had managed to open the scoring in the first act of the duel, thanks to a masterful execution from the edge of the box, and Jorge De Frutos had restored parity with a volley that went under the hands of Thibaut Courtois.

The “Bernabeu” hosted a new local derby in the Spanish capital, as Real Madrid hosted Rayo Vallecano in the 22nd round of LaLiga, in a match that pitted two teams in contrasting situations against each other. While “los blancos” were currently second in the league table, four points behind current leader FC Barcelona, ​​the Vallecas team was in the “red” zone of the general standings, one point behind Real Mallorca, the team that was in the first place and was relegated.

In the middle of last week, the “galactics” had lost in the UEFA Champions League, away, against Benfica Lisbon, but the hosts’ morale was high considering the statistics according to which their last defeat on home soil had been in December, against Manchester City. In the last five matches played in all competitions, Real Madrid had recorded three successes and two failures, while the students trained by Inigo Perez, in the same time frame, recorded three defeats and two triumphs in all competitions.

Alvaro Arbeloa faced squad problems in the defensive compartment, as players such as Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Trent Alexander-Arnold could not be included in the small squad called up for this game. His counterpart did not have Unai Lopez and Diego Mendez available for the match in the Spanish capital, but the good news that the Rayo Vallecano coach received ahead of the LaLiga clash was the return of Andrei Rațiu, the Romanian right-back who is normally an undisputed starter in the visitors’ camp.

In terms of direct duels between the two groups, Real Madrid had achieved a single success against the club from the same city in the last five such matches, at the “Bernabeu”, in the second leg of last season’s domestic competition, the other confrontations ending in a draw. In fact, in the game that took place in the round of the current LaLiga edition, at the “Estadio Vallecas”, the “los blancos” and Rayo Vallecano drew “white”. As in the match that was played against Levante, the names of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, respectively, were most vehemently contested by the “los blancos” supporters.

A huge miss was made by Rayo Vallecano in the fifth minute of the match, when Jorge De Frutos passed to Andrei Rațiu on the right side, the Romanian footballer was then launched by the same teammate, and the pass sent back by the guests’ right full-back was taken over by the Vallecas striker. Jorge De Frutos dribbled past two or three opponents inside the penalty area and shot, but his attempt to open the scoring went wide. In the ninth minute of the match, Jude Bellingham suffered a muscle injury while trying to reach a ball sent deep by Franco Mastantuono.

The English player instantly collapsed on the pitch, and after the medical team provided him with the necessary care, he decided to leave the field, precisely to force a more serious injury. His place was taken by Brahim Diaz. Vinicius Junior was the one who unlocked the scoreboard, when, at the end of a counterattack launched by Arda Guler, the Brazilian footballer received a ball on the left flank, dribbled inside and finished with an amazing execution, which reached the corner of the goal defended by Augusto Batalla, after “pinching” the crossbar.

Subsequently, Arda Guler dribbled lightly inside the box, Pep Chavarria being completely outpaced at that stage, the footballer from Turkey deciding to shoot on foot, to the far corner, but the Argentine goalkeeper of the guests was on duty. Vinicius Junior was on the rebound, but his close-range shot missed the crossbar, and the score remained 1-0 in favor of the “Galacticos”. Brahim Diaz received a ball close to the Rayo Vallecano goal from the scorer of the first goal of this match, but the Moroccan player’s finish was completely missed.

Alvaro Garcia received a pass from Pep Chavarria, after Isi Palazon cleverly jumped over the ball, and the left winger of the Vallecas team shot, from the turn, on the ground, but Thibaut Courtois caught it without problems. The visitors’ left-back tried his luck, after being attentive to a rebound from the home defense, but his powerful shot reached the turf. Before the break, following an error committed by the Rayo Vallecano defense, Brahim Diaz was left alone with Augusto Batalla, but the attacking central midfielder of “los blancos” wanted to be altruistic and passed to Kylian Mbappe, the ball being cleared from the dangerous area by Florian Lejeune.

In the extra minutes, a counterattack phase belonging to the guests was ended with the deflected execution of Isi Palazon that did not create any difficulties for the team trained by Alvaro Arbeloa. The second half began with a huge goal chance that was wasted by Gerard Gumbau, the defensive central midfielder of the team prepared on the sidelines by Inigo Perez, shooting powerfully from approximately 30 meters away from the “galactic” goals, but Thibaut Courtois blocked the execution of his opponent.

The equalizer arrived in the 49th minute of the duel at the Bernabeu, when Gerard Gumbau threw a ball into the home penalty area, and Alvaro Garcia, with a header, set up Jorge De Frutos for a first-time finish with his left foot, who beat the Belgian goalkeeper of Real Madrid. Arda Guler’s free kick was intercepted by Vinicius Junior, but the Brazilian player sent it well over the goal defended by Augusto Batalla. Thibaut Courtois saved Real Madrid from conceding a second goal, when the Belgian goalkeeper intervened decisively on the execution signed by Alvaro Garcia, on a counterattack.

10 minutes before the final whistle of the match, Pathe Cisse was sent off, after violently entering Gonzalo Garcia. Daniel Ceballos came close to putting Real Madrid back in the lead, but the Spanish midfielder’s shot went just wide of the visitors’ goal. The same Iberian player’s cross was headed back by Eduardo Camavinga, but the Frenchman’s shot hit the post.

An incredible miss occurred in the 68th minute of the match, when Kylian Mbappe escaped alone on a counterattack, and after Augusto Batalla misjudged and went out of bounds, the Hexagon star hit the crossbar, sliding. Până la finalul partidei, nimic concludent nu avea să se mai petreacă, însă al optulea minut adițional, un fault comis în careu de către Nobel Mendy, cel care a intervenit neglijent asupra lui Brahim Diaz, ridicând piciorul prea mult, a fost sancționat de către centralul confruntării, astfel că formația condusă de pe margine de Alvaro Arbeloa a beneficiat de un penalty.

As on many other occasions, the French striker Kylian Mbappe was responsible for converting the penalty, scoring with a shot placed on the right side of the goal defended by Augusto Batalla, reaching the 22nd post in this edition of LaLiga. Real Madrid obtained all three points and came within a length of FC Barcelona, ​​while Rayo Vallecano dropped a position in the general hierarchy, being under the threat of relegation.

The game at the “Bernabeu” ended with the away team in double numerical inferiority, after, in turn, Pathe Cisse, in the 80th minute, and Pep Chavarria, in the extra minutes of the match, were eliminated. In the upcoming round, the “Los Blancos” group will play at the “Estadio Mestalla” in the company of Valencia, and the club from Vallecas will receive a visit from Real Oviedo, in an extremely important duel regarding remaining in the first division of Spanish football.