MADRID: Rayo Vallecano prevented Real Madrid from taking provisional control of La Liga by holding the European champions’ to a pulsating 3-3 draw on Saturday.

Real were without their star signing Kylian Mbappe as the striker is nursing a thigh injury.

Rayo Vallecano, on the back of a win last time out, stunned the visiting giants when Unai Lopez headed in Jorge de Frutos’s pin-perfect cross with the game only four minutes old.

Rayo went for the kill at a raucous Estadio de Vallecas, only for de Frutos’s shot to fly over the bar.

But the home side only had to wait until after the half hour mark to double their lead with another header, this time from Abdul Mumin.

That unexpected scoreline only lasted three minutes as Fede Valverde pulled one back for Real with a tremendous 25-yard strike for his fourth goal of the season.

Just as Rayo might have been thinking of going into the break in the lead, Jude Bellingham bag­ged the leveller in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

The England international headed Rodrygo’s clip into the bottom corner for his sixth straight goal in the league.

Real emerged in the second half intent on completing their comeback and their climb to the top of the table, for 24 hours at least.

Arda Guler had the ball in the back of the net but Real’s Turkish teenager’s effort was disallowed for clear offside.

Two minutes later, Rodrygo put the visitors in front for the first time in style, the Brazilian winger’s shot flying into the top corner past Augusto Batalla.

Ancelotti introduced Vinicius Junior, who made his comeback against Atalanta from injury and also got on the scoresheet against the Serie A leaders.

The sight of the fearsome forward did not cow Rayo, who seconds later cancelled out Real’s lead when Isi Palazon connected with Florian Lejeune’s long range teaser to fox Thibaut Courtois.

That was how the encounter ended, with Real now on 37 points, one adrift of Barcelona. Rayo are 13th with 20 points.

“It was a complete game, which also included many errors, but I thought we didn’t suffer as much as the final result would suggest,” Ancelotti told a press conference on Saturday. “I was much more worried about those draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas... Now we have the attitude and commitment of last year and that is promising.”

Earlier in the basement clubs clash, Real Valladolid edged Valencia 1-0 while 18th placed Espanyol held Osasuna, seventh, to a goalless stalemate. Sevilla broke into top 10 after beating Celta Vigo 1-0 and Mallorca climbed up to fifth as they downed Girona 2-1.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2024