Real Madrid hosted Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu for a crucial match in the title race, as part of the 22nd day of La Liga. The Merengues knew that a victory was imperative in order to stay in contact with Barça, the sole leader after their success against Elche (3-1). Having regained form in recent weeks, Real approached this meeting with confidence, carried by a very prominent Kylian Mbappé, aligned up front and supported by Vinícius on the left side and Mastantuono on the right. Arbeloa also had confidence in the other French, with Aurélien Tchouaméni at the heart of the game and Eduardo Camavinga positioned on the left flank. Opposite, Rayo Vallecano presented itself in great difficulty, occupying 16th place in the standings before kick-off, with the objective above all of resisting a Real determined to gain three precious points.
Despite a generally advantageous start to Real Madrid, the Merengues initially came close to being penalized. Found in the area, Akhomach performed a superb number by successively eliminating Güler then Camavinga before attempting a cross shot which grazed Courtois’ right post. A free warning for the locals, quickly followed by a hard blow with the exit due to injury of Jude Bellingham in the 9th minute, victim of a breakdown. Brahim Díaz then took his place. Little by little, Real regained control and “Vini” reignited the Bernabéu by rediscovering the inspiration of his great evenings of 2024: with a sumptuous curling shot, the Brazilian found the top corner, leaving the goalkeeper without reaction and liberating an entire stadium (15th, 1-0). Dominant, the Madrilenians were however unable to make the break before the break and were even worried, notably on an attempt by García in the 35th minute, well repelled by Courtois.
Rayo Vallecano reduced to nine
After returning from the locker room, Ceballos replaced Raúl Asencio, thus repositioning Tchouaméni in central defense. Real quickly claimed a penalty when Mbappé made the difference on the left side before being unbalanced by Ratiu, with no reaction from the referee in the 47th minute. Two minutes later, Rayo equalized: Gumbau found García’s head in the area, whose delivery benefited Jorge de Frutos, quicker than Tchouaméni to finish from close range (49th, 1-1). The Madrilenians tried to react with Güler on a free kick, then with Tchouaméni from a distance, without success (51st), before Courtois kept his team afloat by winning a decisive face-to-face against Ratiu launched on the counter (64th).
The face of the match changed in the 68th minute with the direct expulsion of Pathé Ciss, guilty of a violent sole on Ceballos, leaving Rayo Vallecano at ten. In the process, Real increased the pressure and Mbappé thought he would give his team the advantage after a lightning counterattack: going left, he eliminated Batalla who came far from his goal, before seeing his shot from a tight angle crash onto the crossbar. The Madrilenians continued to push and Ceballos came close to scoring in the 82nd minute, after a two-played free kick, grazing the right post. Thanks to a new penalty from Kylian Mbappé in the last minute (90th + 10), Real Madrid won (2-1) and closed to within one point of FC Barcelona. Long pushed despite their numerical superiority, the Merengues finally snatched three precious points in the title race. In the final moments, Chavarria was also excluded.
