Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano – Rodrygo nets late winner as Los Blancos stand with Vinicius after racist abuse

Rodrygo’s late goal earned Real Madrid a hard-fought 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and lifted them back above Atletico Madrid into second in La Liga.

A drab encounter came to life in the closing 10 minutes as the visitors drew level through substitute Raul de Tomas in the 84th minute after Karim Benzema’s first-half goal, before Rodrygo struck the decisive blow to leave Rayo languishing in 11th.

Vinicius had his three-match red card ban overturned by La Liga in the wake of the controversy, but Carlo Ancelotti still decided to leave him out of the matchday squad due to what was reported as a minor knee injury, as the Italian manager made seven changes to his starting line-up in a bid to arrest a run of two consecutive defeats.

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos returned in midfield, but it was Benzema who made the difference for Los Blancos in the 31st minute when he ruthlessly took advantage of an uncontested drop ball for his 30th goal of the season.

Isi Palazon and Antonio Rudiger came together on the edge of the Rayo Vallecano area, with the referee calling a drop ball, but rather than playing back towards his own goal, the French forward fed Federico Valverde, who returned the favour before Benzema rounded Stole Dimitrievski and tapped into the empty net.

It was as opportunistic as it was controversial, with the Rayo players and manager Andoni Iraola incensed the goal was allowed to stand.

That appeared to take the stuffing out of the visitors until De Tomas fired a shot underneath Thibaut Courtois six minutes from time in what will have felt like justice, only for Rodrygo to coolly find the corner and snatch the victory.

Up next for Madrid is a trip to Sevilla, while Rayo Vallecano host Villareal.

TALKING POINT – TRIBUTES PAID TO VINICIUS

Some things are bigger than football and even though he was watching on from the stands, the headlines belonged to Vinicius Junior. The 22-year-old was the target of racist abuse against Valencia at the Mestalla, with Real Madrid players taking to the field today in ‘Vini No.20’ shirts, while applause rang round the stadium in the 20th minute.

Those acts in themselves fall well short in addressing the problem that still exists in football, but it was a nice show of solidarity as the fallout continues. La Liga has fined Valencia and issued a stadium ban but more is undoubtedly needed in the weeks and months ahead. Hopefully Vinicius will be back in action soon.

Player of the match – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

As for the on-field action, this was a tricky one. Both sides appeared in holiday mode, with chances few and far between. So, while his opener might have been controversial, Benzema gets the nod for player of the match. The Frenchman looked the most like he wanted to be out there and took his chance as clinically as you would expect.

Player Ratings

REAL MADRID: Courtois (6), Carvajal (6), Rudiger (6), Alaba (6), Nacho (5), Modric (7), Kroos (6), Camavinga (6), Valverde (7), Benzema (8), Rodrygo (7)… SUBS: Asensio (n/a), Tchouameni (n/a), Ceballos (5).

RAYO VALLECANO: Dimitrievski (5), Balliu (5), Lejeune (6), Catena Marugan (5), F. Garcia (5), Comesana (6), Valentin (6), Palazon (6), Lopez (6), A. Garcia (6), Camello (5)… SUBS: Trejo (5), Falcao (n/a), Chavarria (n/a),De Tomas (7).

Match Highlights

31′ – GOAL! BENZEMA PUTS MADRID AHEAD: From absolutely nowhere Real Madrid lead. Well, not from nowhere, from an uncontested drop ball. They catch their opponents napping and work the ball through to Benzema, who rounds the keeper and sticks it into the empty net. The visitors aren’t happy with Madrd for a perceived lack of sportsmanship, but it won’t change what happened. 1-0!

44′ – END TO END: It’s the away side’s chance to enjoy a spell of possession, working the ball right, left and back to the right again before getting it into the box. However, the chance to have a shot is wasted and Real break. Benzema sets up Rodrygo but the forward slips and hits the deck as he’s about to pull the trigger.

56′ – CHANCE: Rayo come forward but the attack breaks down, which allows Madrid some space. The ball is worked to Modric on the left, who whips in a delightful ball with the outside of his boot, but with the goal at his mercy, Carvajal skies his effort well over the bar.

84′ – GOAL! DE TOMAS MAKES IT 1-1: And just like that, we’re level. The game looked to be petering out but De Tomas had other ideas, receiving the ball on the left before taking a touch and unleashing a right-footed shot that found its way under Courtois. 1-1.

89′ – GOAL! MADRID LEAD AGAIN: What an end to this game. Madrid attack and Rodrygo picks up the ball on the edge of the area. He turns and sees he has space to shoot and coolly slots it past the Rayo keeper to make it 2-1!

Key Stats

• The win is the 12th in a row for Real Madrid at home to Rayo Vallecano