Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Player Ratings- Joselu’s Goal Secures Draw

Spanish giants Real Madrid missed a golden opportunity to open an eight-point gap at the top of the La Liga standings on Sunday (Feb 18) after their 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano. Real, who emerged victorious in the Champions League in Leipzig in midweek had a subdued performance against Rayo in the derby which has kept Girona’s interest in the title race intact as they could now close the gap to three points with a win on Monday night against Athletic Club Bilbao.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Andriy Lunin (6.5/10)

Andriy Lunin was a little tested, just managing two saves in a single match. Aside from one early pass that caused Camavinga problems, good distribution occurred.

Lucas Vazquez (6/10)

Lucas Vazquez produced a beautiful cross that would have scored for Joselu, but the ball was correctly declared out of bounds. Vazquez struggled occasionally with Alfonso Espino and Alvaro Garcia’s overloads for Rayo.

Aurélien Tchouameni (7/10)

Another outstanding display from the position of center back for Aurélien Tchouameni and made a critical block on an attempt after a subpar exchange between Camavinga and Lunin. Dominated in the air and won every duel he was engaged in.

Nacho (6/10)

A fine game from Nacho who was rarely tested defensively but did not prevent Real from dropping points.

Fran Garcia (5/10)

Fran Garcia was anticipated to perform better offensively; he never clicked with Vinicius on the left side.

Eduardo Camavinga (6/10)

Despite being one of the deepest midfielders, Eduardo Camavinga was unable to make an impact on the game. The best part was when, under pressure from Rayo, he decided to carry the ball.

Fede Valverde (8/10)

Fede Valverde took advantage of the space that opened up in front of him during the transition to give Joselu the ideal assist early in the first half. Fede trademark moment was one of the few positive aspects of a subpar match.

Luka Modric (5/10)

To play at his best, Luka Modric needs consistency and rhythm, something this new-look Madrid team is unlikely to provide. It was a surprise that the Croatian played for 87 minutes, considering that he was the least effective midfield player in the game.

Vinicius Junior (5.5/10)

Merely 44 touches during the game for Vinicius Junior falling short of his typical 55+, and only half of his passes were completed. Vini never got it, and the longer the match lasted, the less of an impact he had.

Brahim Diaz (5.5/10)

Similar to Vinicius, he only got forty touches and was unable to duplicate the performance from the midweek game in Germany.

Joselu (7/10)

Joselu scored his eighth goal of the season in a very strong first twenty-five minutes, breaking Rayo’s line with some excellent flick connections. Faded from the game as Rayo became more and more involved, Joselu was then hardly seen influencing the game.

ALSO READ: La Liga Standings and Table After Gameweek 22

Rayo Vallecano Player Rating

Stole Dimitrievski (6/10)

Tough day at the office for the Rayo shootstopper, Dimitrievski was impressive whenever his side needed him.

Iván Balliu (6/10)

Fought hard to stop the opposition attack and ended up with an impressive showing despite some awkward moments.

Mario Hernández (6/10)

Though not personally responsible for any of the goals, the defense allowed was at fault for the opening goal.

Florian Lejeune (7/10)

Florian Lejeune’s story is similar to Hernández’s as he started rather early, although could have made a better impact on the match.

Alfonso Espino (6/10)

Alfonso Espino failed to stop Joselu for Real Madrid and was fully at fault for minor mistakes in the midfield.

Isi Palazón (5/10)

Isi Palazón is too often overwhelmed in the middle. Late on Palazón clattered into a challenge which was an important intervention.

Unai López (6/10)

Unai López played his defensive role and produced vital blocks when necessary.

Óscar Valentín (7/10)

Óscar Valentín continued his impressive showing in the attack as he was one of the influential players on the pitch. 

Fran García (6/10)

Fran García appeared to have some influence in the opening half of the match, but as the opposition got into the game he gradually lost interest.

Raúl de Tomás (7/10)

Raúl de Tomás scored the equalising goal for the hosts and was the side’s best player.

Óscar Trejo (6/10)

Óscar Trejo got some credit from the home crowd for putting up a little resistance at the peak of the attack.

ALSO READ: La Liga Top Scorers: Players with the most goals after Gameweek 24