Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona: Winners and Losers from La Liga Match
Lionel Messi and Neymar found the back of the net within a minute of each other as Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the Primera Division season continued with a 2-0 win away to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Despite starting brightly and taking the game to their guests in the opening exchanges, Rayo were unable to breach a Barcelona back line that has yet to concede in La Liga this term.
The Catalans, on the other hand, took advantage of their hosts’ high defensive line to put both Messi and Neymar through to score in the first half.
Rayo completed the match with nine men after the controversial ejections of Jorge Morcillo and Javier Aquino.
Winner: Claudio Bravo, Who Established a New Clean-Sheet Record
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Claudio Bravo didn’t have all that much to do on Saturday, but the saves he made were good ones, and midway through the first half in the Madrid outskirts, he ended up making history.
At the 20-minute mark and having yet to concede a goal this season, Bravo broke Pedro Artola’s record of 560 perfect minutes to begin a league campaign.
At the final whistle, the Chile No. 1 had extended his new mark after making diving saves to deny both Alberto Bueno and Leo Baptistao.
Loser: Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, Who Officiated a Poor Match
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Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz made several poor decisions on Saturday.
He should have awarded a penalty to Barcelona late in the first half when Munir El Haddadi was fouled inside the Rayo Vallecano box. Instead, however, he ended up giving a free-kick to the hosts.
His pair of ejections were questionable as well.
Jorge Morcillo’s tackle on Neymar wasn’t worthy of a second booking, nor was Javier Aquino’s challenge on Sergio Busquets.
Winner: Munir El Haddadi, Who Continues to Impress for Barcelona
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By the time he was withdrawn in the 59th minute, Munir El Haddadi had already shown Luis Enrique enough. It was down to Pedro to make an impression on the Barcelona manager over the final half-hour.
El Haddadi put in a complete performance against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, making key contributions on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, he did ever so well to control Marc Bartra’s overhead pass before holding up play and allowing Neymar to make his run before sliding the ball to the Brazilian for the guests’ second goal.
Then, in the 54th minute, he tracked back to apprehend Gael Kakuta, who had gotten the better of Barcelona right-back Dani Alves.
Loser: The Rayo Vallecano High Line, Which Cost the Hosts a Pair of Goals
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You have to give Rayo Vallecano credit—they came out intending to have a go at Barcelona on Saturday.
Pressing high up the pitch from the opening kick-off, manager Paco Jemez’s men seemed to have their visitors in a state of confusion during the early exchanges, although the clever Barcelona playmakers soon found a way downfield.
After playing themselves offside on a handful of occasions, the Catalans finally got their breakthrough when Gerard Pique scooped a ball over Rayo’s defensive line for Lionel Messi, who made no mistake with his finish past Tono.
Less than a minute later, it was Marc Bartra picking out Munir El Haddadi, who similarly fed Neymar for the insurance marker.
Winner: Gerard Pique, Who Needed a Bounce-Back Performance
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Gerard Pique has struggled with form and fitness this season and started only his fourth match in all competitions on Saturday.
It wasn't always pretty—he was caught upfield more than once—but he managed to deliver the long, arcing ball over the defense ahead of Lionel Messi’s opening goal, and he generally had the beating of Leo Baptistao and Manucho.
Having been recalled into the Spain squad earlier in the week, the 27-year-old will no doubt be looking to get on a bit of a roll in order to re-assert himself in Barcelona manager Luis Enrique’s regular first-team plans.
Loser: Dani Alves, Who Continues to Decline
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Earlier in the week Barcelona right-back Dani Alves announced his intention to move to England ahead of next season, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo (h/t the Daily Mail's Pete Jenson).
But what Premier League side would even want the Brazil international?
On Saturday, Alves struggled mightily opposite Gael Kakuta and was generally outplayed by Emiliano Insua down his flank.
But for the help of Munir El Haddadi, Gerard Pique, Marc Bartra and Sergio Busquets, his afternoon would have been even more disastrous.
