Real Madrid drops points in Vallecas and hands a gift to Barcelona

BarcelonaA disastrous week for Real Madrid, who, after losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield midweek in the Champions League, could only manage a 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas today. And they were lucky to get away with it. With this result, Xabi Alonso's team lets two points slip away, giving Barça the chance to close the gap to just three points if they can defeat Celta Vigo at Balaídos this Sunday before the international break. Rayo has now managed draws against Barça, Atlético Madrid, and Real Madrid this season. Madrid, who have now gone four consecutive years without a win in Vallecas, were never able to dominate a Rayo Vallecano side that was well-organized defensively and electric on the counter-attack. Ratiu caused the defense a lot of problems. meringue Down the right flank, Álvaro García had several scoring opportunities that didn't find the net due to Courtois's saves or poor finishing. Meanwhile, Mbappé and Vinícius weren't at their best, and their attacking contributions had to come from deeper positions. For example, Fede Valverde's long-range shots were thwarted by Batalla.

The bad news for Rayo Vallecano was the potentially serious injury to Pedro Díaz. The midfielder suffered an unnatural twisting of his left knee during the first half while challenging for the ball, and after attempting to continue playing, he had to leave the field limping and visibly affected. Díaz watched the second half from the bench with an ice pack on his knee, awaiting further assessment of the extent of his injury. Ivan Balliu, from Catalonia, did not play, although he warmed up on the sidelines during the second half, following a heated argument he had on Thursday with his coach, Íñigo Pérez, after being substituted in the Conference League match against Lech Poznan. The conflict resulted in the coach missing the post-match press conference due to illness. Despite Pérez denying any disrespect shown at the pre-match press conference before the Real Madrid game, Balliu had to watch the entire derby from the bench.