Spanish League: Real Madrid stumble against Rayo Vallecano, giving Barcelona a chance to close the gap

 

Real Madrid's winning streak in the Spanish league came to an end after a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, giving rivals Barcelona the chance to close the gap to three points in the twelfth round of matches.

Real Madrid had returned from Liverpool with a 1-0 defeat to the English side in the fourth round of the Champions League, and then dropped points for the first time after four league victories, including one against Barcelona, ​​which had put them six points ahead of the Catalan team before their match against Celta Vigo later that day.

The Royal Club increased their tally to 31 points at the top of the table, five points ahead of second-placed Villarreal, who defeated Espanyol on Saturday, while Rayo Vallecano earned their 15th point, temporarily placing them in twelfth position.

Rayo Vallecano proved to be a difficult opponent for the capital club, holding them to a draw for the fourth time in their last five matches, particularly at their small stadium where Real Madrid haven't won in their last four visits, specifically since February 2022.

As expected, the visitors posed the greater threat, creating several chances to take the lead. The most notable opportunities came from a close-range shot by Brazilian Vinicius Junior, which was saved by Argentine goalkeeper Augusto Batalla (23), and a header from Raúl Asensio that went just wide of the left post (24).

The home side tried to surprise the visitors, but Jorge de Frutos missed a clear scoring opportunity from inside the penalty area (51).

Kylian Mbappé responded with a beautiful shot that went just wide of the left post (60), followed by a long-range effort from Uruguayan Federico Valverde that was saved by Batalla (69).

Coach Xabi Alonso gave English full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, returning from injury, his second consecutive start, bringing him on for the final seven minutes, following a ten-minute appearance against his former club, Liverpool.

However, the introduction of the player, who is absent from his national team's squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, in place of Valverde, did not alter the attacking style of the Royal Club, who could only manage a draw before their second away match against Elche.

Athletic Bilbao regained their composure and defeated Real Oviedo 1-0 in the first meeting between the two sides in nearly 25 years.

The Basque team secured their first victory after three defeats in various competitions, thanks to a goal scored by international striker Neco Williams in the 25th minute.

The last official match between the two teams was in December 2011 in the Copa del Rey, while their last league encounter dates back to 2001, in Real Oviedo's final season before their promotion at the end of last season. Athletic Bilbao climbed to seventh place temporarily, ahead of a tough away match against Barcelona next week.

Meanwhile, Oviedo's woes deepened as they remained at the bottom of the table with eight points, just one point adrift of safety.

Later, Real Mallorca play Getafe, and Valencia face Real Betis.