Real Madrid
Real Madrid easily defeated Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in the first half. This helped them tie for first place in the standings as they fight to keep their La Liga title.
With Barcelona leading the pack with 57 points, ahead of second-place Real on goal differential, and Atletico Madrid in third place with 56 points following a 2-1 loss at Getafe earlier on Sunday, Spain’s three biggest clubs are only separated by one point in one of the closest title races in recent memory.
After their match against Osasuna on Saturday was postponed due to the unexpected death of their team doctor, Barça now has a game in hand as they take on Atletico next Sunday.
Prior to the second leg of their Champions League last-16 matchup with rivals Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti rested a number of important starters, including defender Antonio Rudiger and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
However, Real Madrid was still superior and controlled the game from the start at their Bernabeu stadium.
In the 30th minute, Mbappé completed a counterattack, and four minutes later, Vinícius added a beautiful individual goal to give them a two-goal lead.
Vinícius could have increased their lead even more, but his strike from just outside the box also struck the post.
Pedro Díaz gave Rayo a fantastic shot from the edge of the area in added time before the half that struck the crossbar, bounced over the goalline, and then went out again. The referee did not award the goal, so the VAR awarded it.
Against a Rayo team that put up a strong fight and produced some good chances but lacked the firepower to seriously challenge the La Liga champions, Real did just enough to maintain their lead after the half.
