Real Madrid – Rayo Vallecano, getty images February 1, 2026, 5:10 p.m

Real Madrid secured a hard-fought victory over Rayo Vallecano in the 22nd round match of the 2025/26 La Liga season. The match at the Santiago Bernabeu turned out to be nervous and full of events, and the fate of the meeting was decided by a goal from the penalty in stoppage time — 2:1 in favor of the hosts.

The beginning of the game for the “cream” turned out to be difficult. As early as the 9th minute, Jude Bellingham was injured during a rush and could not continue the match – he was replaced by Braim Diaz, which significantly affected the structure of Real’s game. Despite this, the hosts gradually took control of the ball and began to put pressure on the opponent’s defense.

The account was opened in the 15th minute. Vinicius Junior received the ball on the wing, moved to the penalty area, beat several defenders and with an accurate shot into the far corner, left no chance for Rayo’s goalkeeper. Before the break, Real had a few more opportunities to double the advantage – Kylian Mbappe and Heisen did not convert their chances, so the teams went to rest with a minimal advantage for the hosts.

After the break, Rayo Vallecano played with more courage and quickly punished Real for a loss of concentration. In the 50th minute, after passing into the penalty area, Jorge de Frutos overtook the defenders and restored the balance. The lost ball forced Madrid to act more aggressively – Arbeloa’s team increased the tempo and started to create chances one after another.

Real came close to a second goal, with Mbappe hitting the crossbar after a keeper’s mistake, Vinicius wasting a chance in the penalty area, and Courtois responding with several saves for the hosts after dangerous moves from the visitors. At the end of the match, Rayo was noticeably tired, and Real settled completely at the other side’s goal.

The solution came already in the compensated time. Braim Diaz earned a penalty which was coolly converted by Kylian Mbappe for his 22nd goal of the current La Liga campaign. The final whistle recorded a difficult but extremely important victory for Madrid.

With that success, Real have collected 54 points and closed the gap on Barcelona to one point, while Rayo Vallecano continue to fight for a place in the elite.

Real Madrid — Rayo Vallecano 2:1
Goals: Vinicius, 15, Mbappe, 90+9 (pen) – de Frutos, 49

Real Madrid: Courtois — Valverde, Asensio (Ceballos, 46), Huysen (Alaba, 77), Kamavinga — Mastantuono (Garcia, 60), Guler (Goes, 77), Chuameni, Bellingham (Diaz, 10) — Mbappe, Vinicius

Rayo Vallecano: Battaglia — Raciu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria — Siss, Gumbau (Valentin, 56) — Ahomash (Martin, 84), Palason (Felipe, 83), Garcia (Pacha, 77) — de Frutos (Diaz, 56)

Warning: Ceballos, Vinicius – Gumbau, Chavarria, Palason, Valentin, Bataglia, Ahomash, Pacha

Withdrawal: Siss, 80, Chavarria, 90+13