REAL MADRID VS RAYO VALLECANO : Real Madrid’s quest to regain their position at the summit of LaLiga was thwarted as they settled for a goalless draw against city rivals Rayo Vallecano.
REAL MADRID VS RAYO VALLECANO : Real Madrid’s quest to regain their position at the summit of LaLiga was thwarted as they settled for a goalless draw against city rivals Rayo Vallecano.Carlo Ancelotti’s side was eager to secure a vital three points to leapfrog Girona on goal difference, but their persistent efforts were in vain as they struggled to breach the resolute defense of Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Vinicius Jr appeared to have broken the deadlock in the second half, but his goal was disallowed due to an offside infringement by Joselu in the build-up.
Rayo Vallecano, who have been unbeaten in LaLiga for eight consecutive games, with six of those encounters ending in draws, posed little threat and never came close to securing their first victory at the Bernabeu since 1996.
Real Madrid missed a golden opportunity to take the lead just five minutes into the match when Federico Valverde seized on a loose pass and surged into the penalty area, only to direct his shot straight at goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Jude Bellingham, who was presented with the LaLiga Player of the Month award for October before kick-off, saw his shot blocked from the ensuing corner. However, there was a moment of concern for Real Madrid supporters as the 20-year-old appeared to sustain an injury to his left shoulder after attempting to control the ball with his chest. After a brief medical evaluation, Bellingham managed to continue playing, and Ancelotti expressed optimism that the injury was not significant.
Real Madrid was almost punished for an unusual error from Luka Modric, but Alvaro Garcia wasted a rare chance by dragging his left-footed shot wide. The match soon returned to Real Madrid’s dominance, with Joselu heading wide from a Modric corner.
Both Joselu and Fran Garcia had wayward shots, but Joselu later forced Dimitrievski into a remarkable save with a first-time attempt after a clever setup by Vinicius. Meanwhile, Bellingham exhibited his skills with a deft turn at the edge of the penalty area, eluding two defenders before firing over the crossbar.
Vinicius had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock immediately after halftime but failed to connect with a superb cross from Modric, who curled the ball to the back post with the outside of his right foot.
Vinicius thought he had finally found the net in the 66th minute, but his goal was ruled out due to Joselu’s offside position when he flicked the ball to his teammate.
Real Madrid continued to press, but Dimitrievski had little difficulty dealing with their attempts and comfortably collected a tame effort from substitute Rodrygo during the additional seven minutes of stoppage time.
