Real Madrid seized the opportunity presented by Atletico Madrid’s loss to level on points with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga after defeating Rayo Vallecano. Quickfire goals from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior secured a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team moved ahead of Atletico Madrid in the standings following Atletico’s surprising defeat to Getafe earlier on Sunday, leaving the top three teams separated by just one point.
Barcelona, who will face Atletico next Sunday, still have a game in hand after their match against Osasuna was postponed due to the sudden death of their team doctor.
Real Madrid took the lead in the 30th minute when Mbappe cut inside and maneuvered into the box before firing the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. They doubled their advantage just four minutes later, with Vinicius skillfully navigating past the Vallecano defense and finishing past goalkeeper Augusto Batalla.
However, in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Pedro Diaz struck a thunderous effort that hit the crossbar, halving the deficit for Rayo Vallecano after a well-executed sequence of play.
Mbappe almost added his second goal eight minutes after the restart, but his curling strike narrowly missed the far post. Los Blancos should have secured the win late in the match; however, Vinicius inexplicably fired wide from inside the box after receiving a superb delivery from Luka Modric.
Ancelotti’s squad understood the significance of beating Vallecano following Atletico’s earlier stumble. Although they ultimately secured victory, it was not their most impressive performance.
Real Madrid has now conceded 51 goals in 46 games across all competitions this season. Among LaLiga teams, only Real Valladolid (68) and Girona (52) have allowed more goals.
