Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano Player Ratings: Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe take Real Madrid joint top with fine goals

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr was on target as they beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in another Madrid Derby at Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos took the lead as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr found the net. Pedro Diaz’s thunderbolt gave Rayo a lifeline going into the second half. The second half was all bark no bite as the game ended 2-1 to Real.

Carlo Ancelotti was cautious when naming his lineup for the league clash. Thibaut Courtois was rested and Andriy Lunin started in goal. Fran Garcia and David Alaba got starts in defence. Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham returned to the starting lineup as the usual attacking trio started.

Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, were without Jorge du Frutos, who was suspended. Raul de Tomas and the usual troublemaker, Isi Palazon, were also sidelined due to injuries. Inigo Perez went conservative as he opted for a defensive approach.

The defending champions started on a brighter note as they kept possession. Rayo Vallecano were playing on the break and had the best chance of the game early from a corner. Vinicius Jr then responded with a thunderous shot from outside the box that ricocheted off the post.

Andrei Ratiu then robbed Vinicius Junior in his half and then shot with venom at Andriy Lunin. Kylian Mbappe provided Real Madrid the breakthrough in the 30th minute as he raced onto Vinicius’ through ball and cut onto his right foot before finding the bottom right corner.

Just five minutes later, Vinicius turned goal scorer as he danced into the area from the left before finding the near post with a lovely finish.

Pedro Diaz blasted life into the game with a thunderbolt from outside the box. The ball crossed the line but it was only confirmed after a brief check. It set up a finely balanced second half to the dismay of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd.

The second half had an entertaining start as Rayo Vallecano took the fight to Los Blancos. The hosts were threatening too as Mbappe and Vinicius generated attacks on their own. Despite Rayo Vallecano’s possession counted for little as they struggled to create meaningful chances. They addressed it with a host of changes.

Oscar Valentin’s shot late in the game was the only genuine chance they had in the game. Rayo Vallecano stayed in the game till the final kick as Real Madrid failed to kill the game. However, they lacked the instinct to hurt their neighbours as they fell to a defeat.

Real Madrid keep pace with leaders Barcelona as they are separated only by goal difference. They beat Rayo Vallecano after a missed opportunity earlier in the season. They will now turn their attention to a key second leg against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Rayo Vallecano missed the chance to jump to sixth place in the table as they couldn’t overpower their Madrid rivals. They host Real Sociedad on the weekend in the league.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

GK- Andriy Lunin – 6/10

Had a slightly nervous start as he miscued a sweeping clearance. Settled into it well. Stood no chance for Rayo’s goal.

RB – Lucas Vazquez – 6/10

Closed down Garcia excellently as he was running through on goal early on.

CB – Raul Asencio – 6/10

A couple of nice interceptions but he lost his head when he almost scored an own goal as he tried to pass it to Lunin blindly.

CB – David Alaba – 7/10

A fantastic block to deny Rayo Vallecano on the brink of halftime. Impressive with his passing as usual.

LB – Francisco Garcia – 6.5/10

Provided overlapping support to Vinicius on the left flank but did miss a final ball.

CM – Luka Modric – 6.5/10

Picked up an easy assist as he simply fed Vinicius on the left for his goal. Was struggling to keep up with Rayo’s intensity in the second half.

CM – Aurelien Tchouameni – 7/10

Was slow to react to Diaz’s shot from outside the box. Did enough otherwise.

CM – Jude Bellingham – 6/10

Was showing great defensive work rate and lacked the incision in attack. His stop-start involvement in the lineup might have led to this rustiness.

RW – Rodrygo – 6.5/10

A good run and a cutback to find Vinicius on the edge of the box as Real came close. Was taken off early with the next game in mind.

ST – Kylian Mbappe – 8/10

Dropped deep and carried the ball past Vallecano’s midfield. A trademark finish after cutting onto his right foot to open the scoring.

LW – Vinicius Jr – 8/10

Slipped Mbappe in with a delicious ball and later got on the scoresheet with a sumptuous finish.

Sub – Federico Valverde – 7/10

Sub – Eduardo Camavinga- 7/10

Sub – Brahim Diaz – 7/10

Manager – Carlo Ancelotti – 7/10

A fairly routine start to the game as his star forwards produced the goods. His side failed to see out the game till late. The lack of control in defence was anticipated as he was preparing for the next game in the Champions League.

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Rayo Vallecano Player Ratings

GK – Augusto Batalla – 6.5/10

Was involved in a nerve-wracking duel with Vinicius outside the box and came on top with calmness. Had good saves and punches throughout the first half.

RB – Andrei Ratiu – 6/10

Made a good steal from Vinicius and almost scored. He was motionless in the box when Vinicius fired past him for his goal.

CB – Florian Lejeune – 5/10

The veteran was spun easily by Mbappe for his first goal.

CB – Aridane Hernandez – 6.5/10

Shot high and wide from a decent corner opportunity. Anticipated a few dangers and stepped out early to meet them.

LB – Pep Chavarria – 6/10

Had a subdued game as he was restricted in defence as well as in attack.

DM – Pathe Ciss – 6.5/10

Slotted into the backline to form a back three and was very dominant in duels.

RM – Adrian Embarba – 6.5/10

A great shot from outside the box to test Lunin in the first half. Kept creating chances with some neat interplay.

CM – Pedro Diaz – 7.5/10

An excellent piledriver from the edge of the box that crashed into the crossbar and crossed the line to bring Rayo back into the game.

CM – Gerard Gumbau – 6/10

Had the freedom to win some tackles from midfield. Should have scored with a volley as he collected Ratiu’s shot.

LM – Alfonso Espino – 6/10

Kept interchanging with Chavarria as he looked to exploit the spaces in the defence.

ST – Alvaro Garcia – 7/10

Led the line well as he made some decent runs. Set up Diaz with a cushioned touch on the edge of the box.

Sub – Ivan Balliu- 6/10

Sub – Oscar Valentin – 6/10

Sub – Oscar Trejo – 6/10

Sub – Sergi Guardiola- 6/10

Sub – Unai Lopez- 6/10

Manager – Inigo Perez – 6/10

Set his team pragmatically, but they grew into the game really well. However, the lack of cutting-edge was very evident as they couldn’t hurt Madrid despite staying in the game for a long period.

Sportsdunia’s Player of the Match goes to: Vinicius Jr

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