Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
A tremendous game in La Liga on Wednesday night saw Real Madrid eventually beat Rayo Vallecano 2-0 away from home, closing the gap at the top of the table to four points once again.
The home side dominated in possession and chances during the first half, but Real made alterations at the break and finally found the goals they needed to prolong their title chase, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez.
Here are all our winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Let's clear something up first: The stats will show that Cristiano Ronaldo was booked for diving, and certainly not for the first time, but it absolutely was not warranted this time around. He was clearly fouled and should have had a penalty—but unlike in previous games, he did not let the injustice of a decision against him stop his impact.
Ronaldo already had several attempts off target before he finally netted Real's first goal, a diving header which showed good movement to take up a position in space inside the area in the second half.
His strike placed him four goals ahead of Leo Messi in the race for the Pichichi, but more importantly, it finally gave Real Madrid the lead in a tough contest.
Winner: Iker Casillas
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He doesn't get too much credit these days, and rightly so, given his erratic and mistake-ridden performances at times, but Iker Casillas was a reliable last line of defence for Real Madrid this time out.
Most of the shots he faced were fairly central or straight at him, but he still reacted well to fend off attempts from Roberto Trashorras and Manucho in particular from close range and at pace.
The Spanish and Real Madrid goalkeeper won't play at the weekend after Carlo Ancelotti stated Keylor Navas would get a run out, but this was a good game for Casillas to build his confidence and form ahead of the title run-in.
Loser: Toni Kroos
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Real Madrid central midfielder Toni Kroos has been a big part of the team and enjoyed a good season overall, but his form over the past month or more has been less than impressive.
Against Rayo, he continued his recent indifferent run, not really running the game for his team, being overrun in midfield in the first half and not improving all that considerably after the break. Meanwhile, his own side went more direct and bypassed the midfield buildup at times.
Kroos' set pieces were generally poor, he was booked for dissent and was robbed too easily of possession.
Winner: Eibar?!
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Though they had nothing to do with this fixture, relegation battlers Eibar will be delighted with the spate of bookings for Real Madrid in the second half, as three key players will be ruled out of the next game through suspension.
Cristiano Ronaldo's ridiculous yellow for a dive—which clearly should have been a foul and penalty—means he misses out, while Toni Kroos was carded for berating the referee after a Gareth Bale yellow card was issued. James Rodriguez was the third to be suspended, with his return from injury set to be temporarily halted by missing the same game.
It's not as if Real don't have quality to come in, of course. Isco and Jese are probably set for an appearance against Eibar now, but the 14th-placed team will take anyone over Ronaldo—and probably James too. With that said, Real may well appeal Ronaldo's booking.
Winners: Both Managers
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As always, Paco Jemez set his side up to keep the ball and attack.
In the first half, Rayo were dominant, robbing Real of the ball in their own defensive third a number of times and creating chances they just couldn't find a finishing touch to. After three straight wins, this defeat won't harm the team in the league, and it certainly won't hurt the squad's confidence since they matched their opponents for large stretches.
For Carlo Ancelotti, however, it was a test to find a way to get his side back into the match and have more of a threat in the final third—and he did that at the break, shifting from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 and taking a more direct approach. The change created more chances to run in behind the defence, and both goals came from such instances.
It was a good game of football, and both coaches can take credit for their decisions, even if quality eventually told over endeavour.
