Real Madrid joins Barcelona at the top after hard-fought 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid moved level on points with LaLiga leaders Barcelona after a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano, with quickfire goals from Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side climbed above Atletico Madrid in the standings after their unexpected defeat to Getafe earlier on Sunday, with the top three teams now separated by just a single point.
Barcelona, who will face Atletico next Sunday, have a game in hand following the postponement of their match against Osasuna on Saturday due to the sudden death of their team doctor.
Real took the lead in the 30th minute when Mbappé cut inside and bundled his way into the box before firing the ball into the bottom right corner.
The hosts doubled their advantage four minutes later when Vinicius weaved past the Vallecano defense and finished past Augusto Batalla.
However, in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Pedro Diaz halved the deficit with a powerful shot that struck the crossbar following a fine passage of play.
Mbappé came close to doubling his tally eight minutes into the second half, but his curling strike narrowly missed the far post.
Real should have sealed the win late on, but Vinicius somehow fired wide from inside the box after being found by Luka Modric’s brilliant delivery.
