La Liga leaders Real Madrid dropped points for only the second time this season, held to a 0-0 draw by local rivals Rayo Vallecano at the Vallecas Stadium on Sunday. Despite the draw, Xabi Alonso's side moved five points clear of second-placed Villarreal and six ahead of Barcelona, who played later in the day. However, the result marked a setback for Madrid, who were hoping to bounce back from the midweek Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
Rayo Vallecano, under manager Iñigo Pérez, delivered a stubborn, energetic performance in the derby clash. They successfully executed a defensive strategy that severely limited the influence of Madrid's attack. La Liga top scorer Kylian Mbappé was starved of the ball for long periods and managed just one shot on the hour mark.
While Madrid failed to break the deadlock, the hosts were not without their own chances. Early on, Andrei Rațiu forced a save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while Raúl Asencio headed wide when well-placed. The standout player of the match, however, was Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla. The Argentine keeper made a fine instinctive save to push away Vinícius's effort in the first half and denied Bellingham with an angled drive in the second, ensuring Rayo became the first team to keep a league clean sheet against Madrid this season.
Coach Xabi Alonso, whose team has now failed to win at the Estadio de Vallecas for the fourth season in a row, made several tactical adjustments, including bringing on Éder Militão at halftime and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final stages. Speaking after the match, Alonso addressed the performance, acknowledging the challenge posed by the hosts: "We were ready for a demanding game... Rayo ask a lot of you. They take you to a place where the games have a frenetic rhythm."
The final whistle confirmed only the second point dropped by Real Madrid in La Liga this season, and Alonso cautioned his team to be "self-critical" yet "measured" in their reaction. The draw will be a source of frustration as midfielder Arda Güler came close to scoring in stoppage time, only for his effort to be deflected behind. Rayo, now sitting mid-table, celebrated the hard-fought point as a victory against one of Europe’s most in-form teams.
