A Sunday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabéu, like before, like a long time ago for the “white” team, accustomed to playing their matches on Saturdays, conditioned by the calendar. And eager to regain good feelings in the Spanish League after a month to forget with 10 points lost out of the last 18, which have caused them to lose their lead in the standings. The afternoon presented itself after the defeat of Atlético de Madrid against Getafe and with the match postponed for Barcelona, an opportunity to return to the top of the table, and Ancelotti’s men did not miss the chance.
It was a match that was played at a high pace from the start, with both teams looking for a goal, but with one player eager to step up, Vinicius. The Brazilian was the star of the show in the opening minutes, breaking down the left wing and threatening the Whites’ goal. One of his most recognisable moves came after ten minutes, when he feinted to shoot, went wide, stopped on the touchline and played a killer pass to Rodrygo, but his compatriot failed to get on the end of it. Barely two minutes in, Real Madrid counter-attacked down the right, Rodrygo came out front to cross the ball, Vinicius controlled, feinted and fired a right-footed shot that crashed off the post after Batalla had got a fingertip to it.
Rayo Vallecano, far from cowering, had their chances. Aridane headed in after Lunin had come out badly for a corner. It wasn’t a difficult ball to reach, but it went over. The scare for Real Madrid came from Asencio, who gave the ball to Lunin without looking at his position, and the ball almost ended up in the back of the net. It went out for a corner and grazed the post.
The storm broke
Vinicius was at the helm, but Mbappé was the one who struck first. The Frenchman received the ball on the edge of the area, leaning in on his left foot, where he likes it, and after a couple of feints and leaving his marker behind him, he crossed the ball with his right foot to the far post, leaving Battalla with no chance. And just 4 minutes later, it was Vinicius, also on the left wing, and after several cuts inside the area, he shot at goal to score the second, after Pedro Díaz had deflected the Brazilian’s shot. And just a minute later, Mbappé could have put the game to bed. A mistake by Rayo Vallecano in bringing the ball out left the Frenchman alone against the goalkeeper. His point-blank left-footed shot was saved by Batalla, preventing the Whites from wrapping up the game in five minutes.
There were just over ten minutes left before the break, and once again, far from throwing in the towel, Rayo Vallecano stepped up, proving that seventh place in the standings is no accident. They had several chances and got their reward in the 47th minute. A right-footed shot from Pedro Díaz hit the crossbar twice. The question is whether the bounce after the first impact had been inside the goal. This was the VAR’s decision (and it was seen in the images). Rayo went into the break very much alive, when they had been very close to being very much dead.
Real Madrid played a good first half, with intensity, playing fast football and without speculating, looking to get on track in a match that could have been decided, with Tchouaméni controlling the midfield, Modric pulling the strings and causing danger every time they attacked, perhaps helped by a brave Rayo Vallecano, who pressed high up and didn’t lose heart or lose sight of the match.
Relaxation at Real Madrid
In the second half, Ancelotti’s team once again relaxed, something that has been blamed on the team throughout the season. Far from going for the game, Real Madrid decided to hold back, save their energy, and wait for the visitors’ tiredness and momentum to open up the game so that their attacking players could finish them off on the counterattack.
An attitude that did not please the fans: there were whistles after 20 minutes, showing the anger of a fanbase that has seen this movie several times this season and that has ended up costing the team points. There were no dangerous actions in the first 25 minutes. The objective was to close out the game, get the three points and think about the Champions League return leg at the Metropolitano.
Modric gives a lesson in the game
These minutes only benefited Luka Modric, demonstrating once again that age is not related to performance. He gave a display in the midfield, he knew when to slow down, when to accelerate, when to play short and when to play long, a display within the reach of chosen players. It’s hard to believe that he won’t start against Atlético, but the accumulation of minutes today, he played the whole game, makes one think that he will be a substitute against Simeone’s side.
A shot from Álvaro García in the 74th minute was the first warning and Vinicius responded after another immense move by Luka Modric. The Vallecas side went for the draw and pinned Real Madrid back in the final minutes, but could only create danger from a corner. Real Madrid had another chance down Vinicus’s wing, but little else in a second half that was a far cry from the game played in the first 45 minutes.
Real Madrid won the game after a good first half, but with a second half that weighs heavily on the Champions League. This was demonstrated by Ancelotti taking off Mbappé with 15 minutes to go, and bringing on Camavinga, and taking off Rodrygo for Valverde and Brahim for Bellingham. Real Madrid regain the lead of the table, albeit level on points with Barcelona, and with one game more than the Blaugranas.