
Rayo Vallecano put on an inspiring performance against Barcelona in Match Day 31 of La Liga, coming out with a 2-1 victory. A. Garcia opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a well-executed shot to give Rayo Vallecano a 1-0 lead. F. Garcia doubled their lead four minutes into the second half, giving them some much needed breathing space against their powerful opponents. Barcelona had chances to get back into the game but it wasn’t until R. Lewandowski’s late strike that they managed to pull one back and make it an exciting finish. Despite this late goal, it was too little too late for Barcelona who had to accept defeat and congratulate Rayo Vallecano on their impressive victory.
Line-ups:
Rayo Vallecano Stole Dimitrievski (rating 7.2) |
Barcelona Marc-André ter Stegen (rating 6.9) |
Substitutions:
Rayo Vallecano P. Ciss (O. Trejo, 63) |
Barcelona J. Alba (M. Alonso, 57) |
Ball possession:
The match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona was an intense one, with Barcelona having the majority of ball possession at 60%. Despite this, Rayo Vallecano managed to make 9 shots on target and 6 on goal. The most active player in terms of the number of shots was Sergio Camello. On the other hand, Barcelona made 10 shots on target and 5 on goal, with Robert Lewandowski being the best in hits on goal.
Passes:
Isi Palazón of Rayo Vallecano had a pass accuracy of 73%, making 49 passes in total. Ronald Araújo from Barcelona had an even higher pass accuracy of 84%, with 75 passes in total. Óscar Trejo from Rayo Vallecano made 2 key passes, while Jules Koundé from Barcelona made only 1.
Defense:
Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona have both had a total of 6 interceptions in their most recent match. Rayo Vallecano’s Fran García was the leader with 2 interceptions, while Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski had the most with 1. Alejandro Catena of Rayo Vallecano had 3 interceptions and Gavi from Barcelona also contributed 1 interception to their team’s total. It was an exciting match as both teams worked hard to try and gain an advantage over one another.
Face-to-face:
Isi Palazón of Rayo Vallecano and Alejandro Baldé of Barcelona were the clear leaders in the number of face-to-face fights for the ball during this season. Palazón emerged as the leader with 8 fights, while Baldé wasn’t far behind with 9. Both players have been instrumental in their teams’ performances this season and their ability to win fights for the ball has been a key factor. This goes to show that even in a sport like football where individual skill is important, having good team tactics and being able to win individual duels can make all the difference on the pitch.
Fouls:
- S. Dimitrievski (Rayo Vallecano) at 90 minute
- A. Balde (Barcelona) at 32 minute
- J. Alba (Barcelona) at 34 minute
- Gavi (Barcelona) at 36 minute
- Raphinha (Barcelona) at 61 minute
Yellow cards:
The last five games (including this match):
- Rayo Vallecano – WLWLD
- Barcelona – LWDDW
Top 5 La Liga scorers:
- Robert Lewandowski (18, Barcelona)
- Karim Benzema (14, Real Madrid)
- Vedat Muriqi (12, Mallorca)
- Borja Iglesias (12, Real Betis)
- Enes Ünal (12, Getafe)
Next games:
- Rayo Vallecano will play with Elche. April 29 at 14:15 (UTC), on Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
- Barcelona will play with Real Betis. April 29 at 19:00 (UTC), on Spotify Camp Nou.