Real Madrid played to a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano in the 12th round of La Liga on November 5th.
One week after defeating Barcelona in the El Clasico, Real could not overcome their neighboring rivals, Rayo Vallecano, at their home ground, the Bernabeu. Despite attempting 22 shots and having an expected goal (xG) of 2.22, the home team failed to score any goals against Rayo Vallecano. The 0-0 draw left Real two points behind the league leaders, Girona, after 12 rounds.
Rayo Vallecano had previously beaten Real in last season’s fixture and remained unbeaten in their last seven La Liga matches. Coach Francisco Rodriguez and his team thoroughly studied Real before they visited the Bernabeu and employed a clear defensive strategy, focusing on tightly marking Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. As a result, despite facing continuous attacks from the home team, Vallecano never seemed to be in danger of conceding.
Real underestimated their opponent, who played defensively and stubbornly. Perhaps that’s why the home stars lacked precision in the first half. In the sixth minute, Federico Valverde intercepted a pass from Unai Lopez, but Stole Dimitrievski blocked his shot.
Real had some concerns in the first half when Bellingham, the recent winner of the Kopa Trophy and in good form, went down holding his shoulder. The English international continued to play and nearly scored at the end of the first half after skillfully bypassing two opposition players and taking a shot that narrowly missed the target.
Joselu, Fran Garcia, and David Alaba all failed to beat Dimitrievski with their attempts in the first 45 minutes. The visiting team hardly mounted any attacks but caused some trouble by capitalizing on a misplaced pass from Luka Modric. In the early stages of the second half, Vinicius Jr put the ball in the Vallecano net, but Joselu was ruled offside during the build-up.
Vallecano’s defense performed admirably in this match, especially center-back Abdul Mumin, who defused numerous Real passing combinations. As the match neared its conclusion, the home team grew increasingly anxious, but they only managed to create fouls and not goals.
Vallecano did not register a single shot on target throughout the match. However, they were ecstatic about holding the Spanish giants to a draw. After the game, the visiting players celebrated as if they had secured three points. It wasn’t just Vallecano’s fans who relished the brave draw; more than 100,000 people in Girona were also celebrating, as their team remained at the top of the league, two points ahead of Real and four points ahead of Barcelona after 12 rounds.
