Leader of Liga with 4 points ahead of Villarreal, Xabi Alonso’s men traveled to Vallecas this Sunday to face Rayo Vallecano, as part of the 12th day. Beaten by Liverpool in the Champions League (1-0) in the middle of the week, the Madrilenians wanted to quickly bounce back and thus consolidate their first place before the international break, on a pitch where they have not won since the 2021-2022 season. For this Madrid derby, Alonso lined up a very offensive 11 with Mbappé, Vinícius Jr, Bellingham, Brahim Díaz and Arda Güler, while Camavinga occupied the midfield in the absence of Tchouaméni. In defense, Trent Alexander-Arnold once again remained on the bench, Valverde was lined up at right back. Opposite, Rayo Vallecano, 12th in Liga before the match, wanted to revive after a heavy 4-0 defeat against Villarreal. Victorious in the Europa Conference League this week against Lech Poznań (3-2), Francisco’s men dreamed of creating the feat this afternoon, note that Frenchman Florian Lejeune started in defense for the locals.
Real Madrid immediately tried to get a foot on the ball, with a first miss from Brahim Díaz (3rd) and a missile from Güler diverted by Batalla (3rd), but Rayo Vallecano, solid in the low block, quickly calmed Madrid’s enthusiasm. Vinicius Jr tried to provoke on the left side without success, Bellingham and Mbappé lacked precision, and Asencio missed a header despite being alone on a cross from Brahim Díaz (23rd). On the Rayo side, Ratiu repelled a shot from Vinicius in the area (42nd). The first period was interrupted by numerous fouls and 5 yellow cards (Rațiu 15th, Álvaro García 33rd, Huijsen 36th, Brahim Díaz 44th, De Frutos 45+3rd), and the two teams returned to the locker room with a draw of 0-0, Real frustrated by its lack of efficiency and Rayo solid in defense. Note that Pedro Diaz came out injured in the 27th, replaced by Espino.
Real Madrid haven’t won at Vallecas in 4 years
Returning from the locker room, Dean Huijsen, in a bad situation, was replaced by Éder Militão: a logical choice on the part of the Spanish technician since Huijsen had received a yellow card. Valverde had the opportunity to open the scoring in the 49th minute, but the Uruguayan completely missed his shot from a free kick. The Rayo players responded directly: on a very good cross from Espino, Palazon appeared at the first post, but did not manage to get his attempt on target. As is often the case, Arda Güler tried to take matters into his own hands, like his curled shot in the 52nd on a service from Kylian Mbappé, but without really imposing his game. A few moments later, the Vinicius-Mbappé connection almost hit the mark, but the captain of the Blues missed his shot.
Captain Valverde attempted a heavy right-footed shot in the 69th minute, but the Rayo goalkeeper blocked his shot again. Looking to break the deadlock, Xabi Alonso started Rodrygo in the 80th in place of Camavinga, then Alexander-Arnold replaced Valverde two minutes later. The Merengues continued to push until the final whistle, while the Rayo players were content to defend. Despite their domination, the match ended in a goalless draw, 0-0. With this result, Casa Blanca remains leader of La Liga with 31 points, while Rayo occupies 12th place with 15 points. A bad result for Real, who could see Barça get closer this evening, and who remain unable to win at Vallecas since the 2021-2022 season.
