Rayo Vallecano 2 – 1 RCD Espanyol: First-half dominance was enough

Rayo Vallecano hosted Espanyol in the opening match of Matchday 6 of LaLiga EA Sports. The match, like all the others the Madrid side have played at home this season, was played at Butarque.That situation will end for Rayo’s next home game, which will come after the international break. Beñat San José’s side came in unbeaten at home, while Manolo González’s men arrived after picking up their first points away from Cornellà-El Prat.

The match began with heavy domination from Rayo. Beñat San José’s side had almost a monopoly of the ball in the opening minutes. In the first chance of the match, the first goal arrived. After an error from Espanyol on a throw-in, Camello laid it off to Tsitaishvili, who cut it back to Pedro Díaz, but the midfielder’s shot was blocked by the Espanyol defense. The rebound fell to Álvaro who, with Dimitrovic beaten, finished into an empty net.

Álvaro García celebrating after his goal. Source: LaLiga.

After the goal, Espanyol continued making mistakes on the ball. Rayo, meanwhile, kept pushing in search of another goal, though without creating too many dangerous chances despite controlling the match.

Little by little, Espanyol recovered from their poor start and began to press and see more of the ball. The Catalan club, mainly through Hartman, started sending crosses into the box. In the 19th minute, Bauza had Espanyol’s first shot. The number 21 unleashed a rocket from distance that went just wide.

Even so, it was Rayo who, with only their second shot on target, scored the second goal. Adrià Pedrosa played a great one-two with Álvaro García, got to the byline and finished beyond Dimitrovic’s reach. The former Espanyol academy player thus scored his first goal for the Madrid side, a strike he chose not to celebrate.

Adri Pedrosa raising his arm after his goal. Source: LaLiga.

After the hydration break, and although Espanyol had a few spells where they looked better than the side exiled in Leganés, it was Rayo who continued to have the overall control of the match. In the 36th minute, Camello could have scored the third after a cutback from Andrei Ratiu. The striped side’s number 10, however, sent his shot wide.

Rayo continued to dominate until the end of the first half. Beñat San José’s side surprised on more than one occasion with the speed of their play after winning the ball back. In the first minute of stoppage time, the red-sashed side could have wrapped up the match with a third. Camello met a waist-high cross from Tsitaishvili, but his effort crashed against the crossbar.

In the end, the teams went into the break at 2-0, with Rayo far superior to Espanyol.

Manolo González, looking to change the game, made three substitutions. Whether because of those changes or because Rayo dropped back a little, Espanyol started the second half with much more possession.

Even so, the first chance of the second half fell to the home side. In the 54th minute, Camello could have made it three. Pedro Díaz found him alone inside the box, but his shot deflected off Omar El Hilali.

Still, in keeping with the pattern of the second half, it was Espanyol who scored. It was Roberto Fernández (who else?) who, in the 57th minute, made it 2-1 with a great low cross-shot after a brilliant feint inside the box. The Andalusian player thus scored his sixth goal in six matches.

Roberto celebrating while urging on his team. Source: LaLiga.

After Espanyol’s goal, Manolo González’s side continued to control the match. That is why Beñat San José decided to make a double change in midfield. Espanyol were pushing for the equalizer.

Little by little, though, the match became more frantic and turned into a wild end-to-end battle. Both teams were finding counterattacks, though without many dangerous shots. Espanyol, out of necessity, were sending more balls into the box. The clearest chance fell to Edu Expósito in the 74th minute. His shot, however, went just wide of Audero’s post.

The final minutes of the match were marked by the game becoming scrappy. Both teams racked up fouls and yellow cards. Neither side stood out in terms of control.

Isidro Díaz de Mera decided to add six minutes at the end of the match. The closing minutes belonged more to Espanyol, who, out of urgency to level the game, showed more heart than Rayo. When the match already seemed over — and in fact was already over on time — Omar El Hilali made a mistake and was sent off for handball after a rebound as the last man. That red card, however, had no bearing on this match, since the final whistle came after the free kick.

In the end, 2-1. A win for Rayo, who dominated the first half and left Espanyol with no time to react in the second.

Rayo Vallecano: Audero; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mujaid (61′, Bouaré), Adri Pedrosa; Pedro Díaz, Pathé Ciss, Unai López (61′, Oscar Valentín); Tsitaishvili (76′, Fran Pérez), Camello (76′, Alemao), Álvaro García (84′, Balliu)

Espanyol: Dimitrovic; Omar El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Hinojo (45′, Marcos Fernández); Urko (84′, Pol Lozano), Moscardo (45′, Edu Expósito); Bauza (45′, Bryan Zaragoza), Javi Hernández (74′, Calatrava), Hartman; Roberto Fernández

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.