At the Vallecas Stadium, Rayo Vallecano celebrated an essential victory in their La Liga encounter. The home side took the lead early in the match with a striking effort from Jorge de Frutos in the 4th minute, following a well-placed pass from Álvaro García, sending a powerful shot into the left corner.
However, Mallorca quickly responded and found the equalizer through Vedat Muriqi, who headed the ball past Rayo’s goalkeeper in the 29th minute. As the first half drew to a close, Rayo Vallecano regained their lead with a penalty converted by Isaac Palazón in the 41st minute, sealing the match’s final score at 2-1.
Isaac Palazón emerged as the standout player of the match, contributing not only with a goal but also completing 52 successful passes, winning back possession three times, and attempting two shots on target.
Jorge de Frutos also had a significant impact, scoring a crucial goal, making 14 successful passes, and taking two shots at the opposition’s goal.
Rayo’s manager, Iñigo Perez, opted for a 4-5-1 formation, starting with Augusto Batalla in goal; a defensive line of Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Nobel Mendy, and Pep Chavarría; a midfield consisting of Pedro Díaz, Óscar Valentín, Jorge de Frutos, Isaac Palazón, and Álvaro García; while Carlos Martín led the attack.
On the other side, head coach Jagoba Arrasate deployed Mallorca in a similar 4-5-1 formation, with Leo Román guarding the net; defenders Pablo Maffeo, Martin Valjent, Marash Kumbulla, and Johan Mojica; Omar Mascarell, Samu Costa, Antonio Sánchez, Jan Virgili, and Toni Lato in midfield; and Vedat Muriqi spearheading the forward line.
Referee Juan Martínez Munuera officiated the match.
Following this game, Rayo Vallecano will travel to face Celta, while Mallorca will host Athletic Bilbao in their next fixture.
This result places Rayo Vallecano at 22 points in the league, sitting in the tenth position, while Mallorca remains on 18 points, positioned seventeenth.
Substitutions for Rayo Vallecano
37’ 1H – Andrei Ratiu replaced by Iván Balliu
68’ 2H – Jorge de Frutos was substituted by Luis Alfonso Espino, and Pedro Díaz was replaced by Gerard Gumbau
78’ 2H – Carlos Martín was substituted for Fran Pérez
80’ 2H – Álvaro García for Randy Nteka, Samu Costa for Javier Llabrés, and Pablo Maffeo for Abdón Prats
Yellow Card in Rayo Vallecano:
0’ 2H Jorge de Frutos (Unsporting behavior)
Red Card in Rayo Vallecano:
34’ 2H Óscar Valentín (Direct red)
Substitutions for Mallorca
58’ 2H – Toni Lato was substituted for Mateo Joseph
69’ 2H – Antonio Sánchez off for Sergi Darder, and Omar Mascarell off for Pablo Torre
Yellow Cards in Mallorca:
14’ 1H Johan Mojica (Unsporting behavior), 39’ 1H Martin Valjent (Unsporting behavior), 13’ 2H Toni Lato (Unsporting behavior), 15’ 2H Pablo Maffeo (Unsporting behavior) and 40’ 2H Pablo Torre (Unsporting behavior)