Real Madrid controversially defeated Rayo Vallecano, once again moving within one point of Barcelona in LaLiga.
Real Madrid needed nine minutes of compensation and a controversial penalty to beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 at home, remaining one point behind Barcelona in the fight for the lead in LaLiga.
Once again, the meringues offered a poor version despite a great goal from Vinícius that seemed to open the way to an easy game that turned into quite the opposite.
It was necessary that in the 98th minute a penalty by Mendy on Brahim was awarded, much demanded by the Rayo players, for Mbappé to score the 2-1 victory.
The keys
1. Nine minutes? For no reason because the match was only stopped during the changeover windows, the referee decided to add nine minutes of compensation when the duel was 1-1 and Rayo was already playing with 10.
Finally at 98′ a penalty was awarded and Real Madrid won.
2. Courtesy dio vida. With the score at 1-1, the visiting team had the second in a head-to-head game, and the goalkeeper, who had not had much work, responded at the key moment and saved his goal.
3. Mbappé saves again. He had a very discreet game and missed an incredible goal against an open goal, but at the decisive moment of taking the penalty in the last minute he did not fail and once again made the difference for the whites.
Empty box. Real Madrid cannot be proud of the way they defeated Rayo Vallecano, and giving the label of hero to any of their players would be too much of a reward after a disappointing performance. Andrei. With the game tied 1-1 at minute 53, he escaped alone after surpassing Asencio in speed and when facing Courtois he crashed his shot into the goalkeeper’s face. Pathé Ciss. He left his team outnumbered with more than 10 minutes left after a devious tackle on Dani Ceballos. Mendy. Although the penalty against Rayo was controversial, since there is a doubt that Mendy touched Brahim, the defender’s action is reckless when he had everything to clear the ball. The referee judged as a penalty an action in which Brahim Díaz was looking for the ball in the area and with no chance of reaching it, he complained about a kick from Mendy. The doubt and controversy lies in whether or not the Rayo player makes contact with the merengue attacker; However, the referee did not hesitate and the VAR ratified his call. Courtois; Fede Valverde, Raúl Asencio, Huijsen, Camavinga; Tchouaméni, Güler, Bellingham; Mastantuono, Vinícius and Mbappé. Battle, Andrei, lejeune, mendy, pep chavaría, gumbau, paté ciis, Is, Álvaro García, akhomach and of Frutos. Next Sunday, February 8, visit Valencia during Matchday 23 of LaLiga. Check the Real Madrid calendar here. Next Saturday, February 7, they host Real Oviedo in LaLiga Matchday 23 activity. After the victory, Real Madrid moves closer to within one point of Barcelona in second place in the table after 22 rounds. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano remains in the last places in the classification. Check the LaLiga table here.the hero
The villains
The controversy
Real Madrid starting eleven
Rayo Vallecano starting eleven
What’s next for Real Madrid?
What’s next for Rayo Vallecano?
How do they look on the table?
