Unconvincing Actual Madrid earn hard-fought victory over native rivals to maneuver to 1 level of league leaders Barcelona.
Printed On 1 Feb 2026
Kylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll house a One hundredth-minute penalty and grab Real Madrid a 2-1 win over nine-man Rayo Vallecano in a spicy La Liga derby.
Los Blancos lower Barcelona’s lead again to 1 level on the prime of the desk on Sunday a day after after the Spanish champions beat Elche.
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Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with an obvious hamstring harm.
Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo stage early within the second half as Madrid followers confirmed their anger at their staff, however after Pathe Ciss’s purple card, Mbappe netted from the spot on the dying.
Pep Chavarria was additionally despatched off for seventeenth positioned Rayo, who took a shaky Madrid to the wire earlier than falling quick.
After the hosts’ defeat at Benfica in midweek which compelled them into the Champions League playoff spherical, the Santiago Bernabeu crowd was in unforgiving temper.
Mbappe and Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa had begged followers to help the staff however, simply as they did two weeks in the past in opposition to Levante, they whistled their very own gamers.
Former Barcelona winger Ilias Akhomach fired narrowly large early on – the ambiance would have been additional soured had his effort crept inside Thibaut Courtois’ submit.
Madrid suffered an early setback as England worldwide Bellingham pulled up holding the again of his thigh, going off in agony.
Vinicius fired the hosts forward within the fifteenth minute, displaying tidy footwork simply inside the world earlier than firing excessive over Augusto Batalla and into the online.
Arda Guler got here near getting a second, with Batalla saving his effort and Vinicius turning the rebound large.
Los Blancos had been in cost however regardless of taking the lead, their followers weren’t appeased, and whistled the staff in on the break.
4 minutes into the second half Rayo pulled stage. Alvaro Garcia nodded a cross down for De Frutos, a former Madrid youth participant, to succeed in and drill house.
The guests ought to have taken the lead after an hour when Andrei Ratiu ran by on aim with solely Courtois to beat however the Belgian stopper made an outstanding save to disclaim him.
Mbappe got here centimetres away from placing Madrid in entrance when Batalla rushed out of his aim, with the French ahead knocking the ball round him however then hitting the bar from distance.
Rayo made life more durable for themselves when midfielder Ciss was despatched off for an unpleasant foul on Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.
Eduardo Camavinga headed in opposition to the submit as Arbeloa’s aspect turned the screw, earlier than 9 minutes of stoppage time had been added on.
With the clock ticking down Madrid had been awarded a penalty when Nobel Mendy clumsily fouled Brahim Diaz, and La Liga’s prime scorer Mbappe dispatched it to grab three factors for his aspect.
Rayo completed the match with 9 males after Chavarria was proven a second yellow card for shoving Rodrygo Goes.
