Those who only saw the first few minutes of Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano might get surprised by the final result…
Real Madrid started with a defensive lineup composed of Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Varane and Marcelo. Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra took their places in midfield whereas Di Maria, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain completed Madrid’s starting XI. The visitors had Dani Gimenez in goal, Tamudo leading the front line and Michu in midfield.
The latter stunned Los Blancos with a tap in after only 23 seconds of play. Having gone behind so early through a blunder from Casillas, the pressure to win increased for Real Madrid. Inside the 5th minute, the hosts nearly found an equalizer but defender Varane headed Angel di Maria’s dangerous cross from the right way over the bar.
Kaka looked lively in midfield whereas Cristiano Ronaldo remained rather unseen during the first 20 minutes of the match. His poor effort from a free-kick won by Kaka in the early stages of the game summed up his unimpressive start on the night.
But Rayo Vallecano couldn’t shut down Cristiano Ronaldo for too long. In the 38th minute, the number 7 player popped up to slide the ball through Dani’s legs and across the goal line. The home crowd could breathe again at last as Real Madrid netted their first strike in 3 games! Assist maker Kaka took some credit as well.
Just before the break, Gonzalo Higuain put his name on the scoring sheet after getting an offside strike ruled out around the half-hour mark. The Argentine fired Real Madrid in front with an easy goal thanks to Sergio Ramos nice pass through a header. In truth, Mesut Özil’s 29th minute introduction was perhaps the main reason behind Real Madrid’s comeback attitude in the first period.
Kaka won a penalty 5 minutes into the second period which Cristiano Ronaldo converted without mistake. At 3-1, Real Madrid seemed safe. But when Michu completed his brace inside the 55th minute, the game opened up once more. Angel di Maria got sent off for a second bookable offense. He’d have been incredibly lucky to stay on the field after producing a handball.
Game on for Rayo Vallecano; they were then only a goal behind besides having the numerical advantage. Jose Mourinho quickly took off Kaka and Higuain as Khedira and Benzema left the bench to take on the field. Fortunately for Real Madrid, Varane scored his first Real Madrid goal while Michu left the match as a substitute with 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
After these events, Benzema justified Mourinho’s changes with a goal. 5-2 to Real Madrid. All 3 points secured! Rayo Vallecano tried to minimize the humiliating margin but Los Blancos looked just satisfied enough to play around with the ball.
Still, there was time for more action. Cristiano Ronaldo got fouled by goalkeeper Dani in the box. The latter subsequently received a yellow card while Ronaldo completed his hat-trick on the night. What a way for the Spanish giants to bounce back from 2 previous bad results!
The latter stunned Los Blancos with a tap in after only 23 seconds of play. Having gone behind so early through a blunder from Casillas, the pressure to win increased for Real Madrid. Inside the 5th minute, the hosts nearly found an equalizer but defender Varane headed Angel di Maria’s dangerous cross from the right way over the bar.
Kaka looked lively in midfield whereas Cristiano Ronaldo remained rather unseen during the first 20 minutes of the match. His poor effort from a free-kick won by Kaka in the early stages of the game summed up his unimpressive start on the night.
But Rayo Vallecano couldn’t shut down Cristiano Ronaldo for too long. In the 38th minute, the number 7 player popped up to slide the ball through Dani’s legs and across the goal line. The home crowd could breathe again at last as Real Madrid netted their first strike in 3 games! Assist maker Kaka took some credit as well.
Just before the break, Gonzalo Higuain put his name on the scoring sheet after getting an offside strike ruled out around the half-hour mark. The Argentine fired Real Madrid in front with an easy goal thanks to Sergio Ramos nice pass through a header. In truth, Mesut Özil’s 29th minute introduction was perhaps the main reason behind Real Madrid’s comeback attitude in the first period.
Kaka won a penalty 5 minutes into the second period which Cristiano Ronaldo converted without mistake. At 3-1, Real Madrid seemed safe. But when Michu completed his brace inside the 55th minute, the game opened up once more. Angel di Maria got sent off for a second bookable offense. He’d have been incredibly lucky to stay on the field after producing a handball.
Game on for Rayo Vallecano; they were then only a goal behind besides having the numerical advantage. Jose Mourinho quickly took off Kaka and Higuain as Khedira and Benzema left the bench to take on the field. Fortunately for Real Madrid, Varane scored his first Real Madrid goal while Michu left the match as a substitute with 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
After these events, Benzema justified Mourinho’s changes with a goal. 5-2 to Real Madrid. All 3 points secured! Rayo Vallecano tried to minimize the humiliating margin but Los Blancos looked just satisfied enough to play around with the ball.
Still, there was time for more action. Cristiano Ronaldo got fouled by goalkeeper Dani in the box. The latter subsequently received a yellow card while Ronaldo completed his hat-trick on the night. What a way for the Spanish giants to bounce back from 2 previous bad results!
