In Matchday 17 of La Liga, Elche reinforced their home advantage with a dominant win over Rayo Vallecano, displaying impressive skill throughout the match. The scoring began early, with Hector Fort finding the net just 5 minutes into the first half. The goals continued with Alvaro Rodriguez converting in the 66th minute followed by Germán Valera, who scored 3 minutes later. Finally, Martim Neto capped the scoring in the 90th minute with a solid strike from a Josán Fernández assist.
Martim Neto electrified the crowd at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero with his goal, striking decisively to leave goalkeeper Augusto Batalla with no chance.
Alvaro Rodriguez emerged as the standout player of the match, netting one goal, taking 7 shots, and completing 13 successful passes.
Furthermore, Iñaki Peña played a crucial role as Elche’s goalkeeper by saving 8 shots and completing 22 passes effectively.
Elche’s manager, Eder Sarabia, implemented a 3-5-2 formation with Iñaki Peña in goal; John Donald, David Affengruber and Pedro Bigas in defense; Hector Fort, Álvaro Núñez, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas, and Germán Valera in midfield; and Rafael Mir alongside Alvaro Rodriguez up front.
On the other hand, Rayo Vallecano, managed by Iñigo Perez, set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Augusto Batalla as the last line of defense; Iván Balliu, Florian Lejeune, Nobel Mendy, and Pep Chavarría forming the backline; Unai López, Óscar Valentín, and Luis Alfonso Espino managing midfield; and the attacking trio of Isaac Palazón, Sergio Camello, and Álvaro García.
The referee for the match was Adrián Cordero Vega.
Looking ahead, Elche will host Villarreal in the upcoming match, while Rayo Vallecano will face Getafe at Vallecas Stadium.
Following this fixture, Elche now has 22 points and sits in ninth place on the table, whereas Rayo Vallecano has 18 points, placing them in fifteenth.
Substitutions for Elche
11’ 1H – Hector Fort was replaced by Martim Neto
79’ 2H – Alvaro Rodriguez made way for Yago Alonso; Marc Aguado was substituted for Josán Fernández, and Pedro Bigas went off for Léo Pétrot.
88’ 2H – Rafael Mir was substituted for Adam Boayar
Bookings for Elche
33’ 2H Aleix Febas (Foul to prevent an opponent’s progress)
38’ 2H Josán Fernández (Foul to prevent an opponent’s progress)
Substitutions for Rayo Vallecano
32’ 1H – Iván Balliu was replaced by Fran Pérez
59’ 2H – Óscar Valentín made way for Pedro Díaz
74’ 2H – Nobel Mendy was substituted for Luiz Felipe; Unai López made way for Gerard Gumbau and Luis Alfonso Espino was replaced by Jozhua Vertrouwd.
Bookings for Rayo Vallecano
21’ 1H Nobel Mendy (Unsporting behavior)
11’ 2H Unai López (Unsporting behavior)
36’ 2H Florian Lejeune (Unsporting behavior)