Real Madrid endured a miserable afternoon against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as they offered little attacking threat on their way to settling for a frustrating 0-0 draw. The high-powered attacking corps of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham were kept quiet in a frustrating contest for manager Xabi Alonso as Los Blancos failed to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Liverpool.
Madrid offered little in the way of attacking threat in the first half., but there were a few chances. Arda Guler, who looked much improved after a dull performance at Anfield, stung the goalkeeper's palms early while Raul Asencio failed to convert from a diving header. Rayo, meanwhile, weren't afraid to hit on the break, and drew a duo of signature stops out of Thibaut Courtois as the half wore on.
Mbappe had a good effort on the hour mark, but skewed wide, while Bellingham went close after, but saw his poke denied by a late sliding challenge. The home side, in fact, looked more likely to score after the break as they peppered the Madrid goal and created opportunities on the break. At the other end, Mbappe lost his positional disclipline and Bellingham tried to do too much through the middle.
There will, admittedly, be games like this for Madrid – especially away from home – but with the title race poised to be as tight as ever, it could be costly.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Vallecas…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Made a few important saves, as per usual. Didn't put a foot wrong.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Motored up and down the right. His side was mostly quiet and he had little to do.
Raul Asencio (6/10):
Had a good chance denied. Kept things tidy otherwise.
Dean Huijsen (6/10):
A pretty poor first half. Got himself booked and looked a little unsteady. Hooked at the break.
Alvaro Carreras (7/10):
Another mightily composed showing at left back. Tried to smash one into the top corner and put it comically wide.
AdvertisementGettyMidfield
Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):
Snapped into tackles, circulated the ball effectively.
Jude Bellingham (7/10):
Full of creativity in the middle, and was a couple of tidy blocks away from a goal.
Arda Guler (6/10):
Much more lively in the first half after a tepid midweek showing. Put one narrowly wide in the second. Saw his influence wane as the game wore on.
GettyAttack
Brahim Diaz (6/10):
Lively on the wing, but could have released the ball more effectively. Replaced after 70 minutes.
Kylian Mbappe (5/10):
Rather shut down in the middle, and started to lose his positional discipline. A rare off day.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
Relatively quiet, and saw his wing crowded by the impatient Mbappe.
GettySubs & Manager
Eder Militao (5/10):
His side of the pitch looked very vulnerable in the second half.
Dani Ceballos (5/10):
Brought on for a little more midfield control, which he didn't really offer.
Rodrygo (5/10):
Chucked on late, and didn't provide much.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (5/10):
Went for an attacking setup against an opponent that figured to dig in a bit. Questionable to bring Ceballos on when needing a goal. His side didn't deserve more than a draw.