Rayo Vallecano hold Real Madrid to goalless Madrid Derby
Real Madrid were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, giving Barcelona a golden opportunity to close the gap in the La Liga title race.
Xabi Alonso’s side moved five points clear of Villarreal in second and six ahead of third-placed Barcelona, who visit Celta Vigo later on.
Despite dominating possession, Madrid struggled to find a breakthrough in a scrappy derby encounter at Vallecas.
Rayo battled resiliently, limiting the influence of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham, while creating a few chances of their own to potentially snatch victory.
Madrid were eager to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in midweek, but ended up dropping points for just the second time this season.
“I want to keep growing, improving, with positive and constructive self-criticism. This is Real Madrid, we all know where we are and what we want,” Alonso said after the match.
“There’s a long way to go, and we need to be demanding of ourselves but also measured.”
Rayo started brightly, with Andrei Ratiu forcing an early save from Thibaut Courtois, while Madrid gradually took control without finding a cutting edge.
Vinicius Junior came close, denied by a fine stop from goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, while Raul Asencio and Alvaro Garcia both spurned chances for the hosts.
In the second half, Jorge de Frutos hit the side netting, and Bellingham tested Batalla from close range. Mbappe, kept unusually quiet, finally found space on the hour but fired wide.
Late on, Arda Guler’s deflected shot nearly broke the deadlock, but Rayo held firm to claim a well-earned point.
“I’m happy with the team’s work,” said Rayo goalkeeper Batalla. “We had chances too, and to balance the difference in quality, we had to push harder. But I saw a Madrid side that fought with great intensity.”
The result means Real Madrid maintain their lead at the top but open the door for Barcelona to narrow the gap in the title race.
