Real Madrid moved level on points LALIGA leaders FC Barcelona after defeating Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday evening.
LALIGA
Result: Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano
Date: 09 March 2024
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Los Blancos were boosted by the return of Jude Bellingham from suspension, while goalkeeper Andry Lunin, Lucas Vasquez and David Alaba were also recalled to the starting line-up.
The home side went close to taking he lead after 13 minutes as Vinicius Junior carved out some space on the edge of the box before unleashing a low strike that crashed against the upright.
Carlo Ancelotti's eventually made their dominance count on 30 minutes as Mbappe latched onto a through-ball from Vinicius before cutting onto his right before firing into the far corner.
Los Blancos doubled their advantage four minutes later as Vinicius embarked on a lovely solo run before carving out a little space in the box and firing past goalkeeper Augusto Batalla;.
Vallecano did give themselves some hope on the stroke of halftime as Pedro Diaz combined with Alvaro Garcia with before firing in off the crossbar, with VAR confirming the goal.
The visitors, however, were unable to carry that momentum in to the second half as Los Blancos regained dominance, with Rodrygo and Vinicius seeing more of the ball down the respective flanks.
With one eye on Wednesday's UEFA Champions League last 16, Ancelotti withdrew Rodrygo with 20 minutes left on the clock as Federico Valverde was introduced while Vallecano introduced Oscar Valentin, Oscar Trejo and Ivan Balliu.
However, Vallecano were unable to carve out another opening in the latter stages as Los Blancos secured the win to move level on points with Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
