Following Barcelona’s tragic postponement yesterday and Atletico Madrid’s loss earlier in the afternoon, things were perfectly poised for Real Madrid to end the weekend in joint-top spot.
After respects were paid ahead of kick-off, Carlo Ancelotti’s men got off to a dominant start as they were clearly here to get the job done ahead of their heavyweight UEFA Champions League clash against Atleti in midweek.
Los Blancos came close to opening the scoring on the quarter-hour mark when Rodrygo raced down the right flank before reversing the ball to the edge of the box, where Vinicius Junior cannoned his effort off the post.
The hosts maintained the momentum and found the breakthrough on 30 minutes when Kylian Mbappe was released down the left, taking advantage of a bobble to bury a finish into the far corner.
The Madrid lead was doubled minutes later thanks to a moment of pure individual brilliance. Collecting the ball on the left, Vinicius drove towards the box, weaving in and out of the Rayo defenders before slotting past Augusto Batalla.
Mbappe had a chance to effectively end the contest moments later, but he was denied by the Rayo goalkeeper, allowing the visitors to halve the deficit before half-time.
Following a quick one-two, Pedro Diaz unleashed a brilliant strike that clattered the crossbar and crept over the line, leading to a lengthy VAR review that ultimately saw the goal stand.
Following the restart, the momentum had shifted as a result of Rayo’s late first-half goal, with Madrid struggling to dominate as they did at the start of the game. Mbappe had an opportunity on 55 minutes but he failed to show the clinicality displayed in the first half as his effort travelled wide of the post.
Following that shot, there was a lack of action in the final third for both sides. The next effort came on the final quarter-hour mark, as Luka Modric flashed a low ball across the face of goal, which Vinicius connected with, but his effort flew agonisingly wide.
A second half lacking in action petered out with Madrid remarkably failing to hit the target in the second period and conceding over two-thirds of possession. Despite finishing the contest on top, Rayo failed to turn their domination into goal-scoring chances.
The result marks a fourth straight win at home for Ancelotti’s men across all competitions, but now attention will turn to their short trip across the city to the Metropolitano Stadium for their Champions League tie.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
