Real Madrid's unbeaten season crashes down at Rayo. Doubts creeping in before the World Cup break?

MADRID -- Real Madrid suffered their archetypal decision of the LaLiga play to Rayo Vallecano, who pulled disconnected a shocking 3-2 upset against the reigning league champions.

The nonaccomplishment besides sees Barcelona leapfrog Madrid into the apical spot of the league table, with each sides having conscionable 1 much crippled near to play earlier the astir two-month World Cup break.

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Rayo opened the scoring 5 minutes into the crippled erstwhile midfielder Santi Comesana finished from wrong the container but Real went up with 2 goals successful 4 minutes acknowledgment to Luka Modric's punishment conversion and Eder Militao's header.

However, Rayo guardant Alvaro Garcia scored the equaliser conscionable earlier halftime, scrambling location a escaped ball. They past clinched the lucifer victor successful the 67th infinitesimal aft a handball by defender Dani Carvajal wrong the area. Real's Thibaut Courtois stopped Oscar Trejo's effort but the footwear had to beryllium retaken due to the fact that the referee flagged Carvajal for encroachment.

Trejo didn't discarded his 2nd chance, scoring what proved to beryllium the victor with a tidy decorativeness to the goalkeeper's left.

Barcelona are apical connected 34 points, 2 up of Real Madrid and 10 up of third-place Atletico Madrid. Following their 3rd consecutive win, Rayo climbed to eighth place, 2 points disconnected the European qualification spots.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. More dropped points outgo Real Madrid apical spot (for now)

This was ne'er going to beryllium an casual nighttime for Real Madrid, distant to a ferociously intense, expertly drilled Rayo Vallecano squad astatine the raucous Estadio de Vallecas, and the crippled was each spot arsenic chaotic and unpredictable arsenic the LaLiga champions mightiness person feared. A 3-2 decision -- which follows a 1-1 gully with Girona past play -- leaves Madrid 2 points down Barcelona astatine the apical of the table, with conscionable 1 crippled near earlier the World Cup break.

Madrid's commencement couldn't person been overmuch worse, conceding their earliest extremity of the LaLiga play truthful acold to Santi Comesana successful the 5th minute. If the first-half absorption was impressive, with Luka Modric's punishment and Eder Militao's header seeing them instrumentality the lead, they ne'er looked wholly comfy oregon successful power either. Alvaro Garcia scored a deserved equaliser earlier half-time, and erstwhile Rayo skipper Oscar Trejo -- astatine the 2nd effort -- bushed Thibaut Courtois from the punishment spot, it didn't truly travel arsenic a surprise.

A triumph and convincing show against Cadiz astatine the Bernabeu connected Thursday is present a must. Anything little volition spot much doubts creep in, with 7 weeks to dwell connected them earlier LaLiga returns aft Christmas.

2. Vinicius clashes with opponents a interest for Ancelotti

Vinicius Junior has been winning justified praise for his consistently influential, match-winning performances this season, becoming the cardinal antheral successful Madrid's onslaught owed to the predominant absences of Karim Benzema. There has been 1 enactment of caution though: a interest that the Brazil planetary is becoming overly susceptible to getting distracted by unnecessary rows with opponents.

There was the high-profile incidental earlier this play erstwhile Mallorca's players and coaching unit were incensed by what they saw arsenic showboating from Vinicius -- which astatine the clip felt unfair -- but determination has besides been a increasing consciousness that the 22-year-old guardant tin beryllium provoked to the constituent wherever it starts to impact his absorption and effectiveness connected the field.

He was booked present for a situation successful the 11th infinitesimal and reacted truthful angrily that referee Juan Martinez Munuera had to person a connection with manager Carlo Ancelotti, who successful crook asked Vinicius to calm down. He was besides targeted by Rayo with unsmooth challenges throughout.

The winger is truthful talented -- and truthful important to Madrid's aboriginal -- that helium indispensable larn to expect specified treatment. Referees indispensable support him properly, but it's besides for Vinicius himself to stay laser-focused connected punishing opponents wherever helium tin truly wounded them: by scoring goals and winning games.

3. Ex-Madrid kid Garcia shows wherefore Rayo are must-see TV

Rayo person go 1 of LaLiga's astir entertaining sides to watch, and overmuch of the amusive comes from the flying concern connected their left-hand side, with Fran Garcia astatine full-back and Alvaro Garcia connected the wing. Fran, 23 -- a Real Madrid academy merchandise -- had rather a nighttime against his erstwhile team. He created Rayo's opener, crossing for Comesana to unfastened the scoring, and past was unfortunate to concede the punishment that saw Modric level astatine 1-1.

Garcia started the 2nd fractional by nutmegging Fede Valverde, and aboriginal went adjacent to putting Rayo successful beforehand with a long-range changeable which Thibaut Courtois tipped implicit the bar. All successful all, helium was a constant, marauding presence, and a nightmare for Dani Carvajal and Valverde to woody with. Madrid retained 50% of Garcia's rights erstwhile they fto him articulation Rayo and considered bringing him backmost successful the summertime arsenic a replacement for the departing Marcelo.

If helium continues to make astatine this rate, don't beryllium astatine each amazed to spot him backmost astatine the Bernabeu earlier excessively long.

Player ratings

Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois 6; Dani Carvajal 6, Eder Militao 7, David Alaba 6, Ferland Mendy 6; Aurelien Tchouameni 6, Fede Valverde 6, Luka Modric 7; Marco Asensio 7, Vinicius Junior 6, Rodrygo Goes 6.
Subs: Eduardo Camavinga 6, Lucas Vazquez 6, Mariano Diaz 5, Nacho Fernandez 6.

Rayo Vallecano: Stole Dimitrievski 6; Ivan Balliu 6, Florian Lejeune 6, Alejandro Catena 5, Fran Garcia 8; Oscar Valentin 6, Santi Comesana 7; Isi Palazon 8, Oscar Trejo 7, Alvaro Garcia 8; Sergio Camello 7.
Subs: Pathe Ciss 6, Pep Chavarria 6, Radamel Falcao 6, Salvador Sanchez 6, Unai Lopez 6.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Fran Garcia, Rayo Vallecano.

So overmuch vigor connected the left. Has the prime to spell connected and play astatine the precise highest level.

WORST: Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid.

Conceded the punishment that gave Rayo the accidental to instrumentality a 3-2 lead, and past ensured that Courtois' archetypal prevention counted for thing erstwhile helium entered the container aboriginal -- successful beforehand of the referee -- to spot the spot footwear retaken.

Highlights and notable moments

Rayo's game-winning punishment conversion (on a repetition effort aft Courtois' encroachment) to seal the 3 points.

Rayo makes it 3-2 implicit Madrid with conscionable implicit 20 minutes to play 👀 pic.twitter.com/iyUKakuVcH

Beating mighty Madrid calls for immoderate celebrations.

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗦!! ⚡️#RayoRealMadrid#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/4864tpT1eQ

No uncertainty determination are besides immoderate smiling faces implicit astatine Camp Nou aft this match.

After the match: What the managers, players said

Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti: "We deficiency immoderate freshness, but that's mean aft truthful galore games. If we measure this archetypal portion of the play we've done well. We've mislaid contiguous and the decision bothers america but we're doing good successful the league and we're successful the Champions League past 16 which was our archetypal objective, we request to decorativeness good against Cadiz and past remainder to travel back."

Ancelotti connected Vinicius: "I don't deliberation helium had peculiar marking today, helium ever has peculiar marking. Today helium didn't person the level he's usually had each season, but thing special."

Ancelotti connected Madrid's Champions League gully against Liverpool: 'They'll accidental the same, 'Real Madrid again!' It volition beryllium a precise entertaining, hard past 16 game, with a bully ambiance astatine Anfield and the Bernabeu, it volition beryllium a spectacular tie."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- And past determination were two. Madrid's archetypal nonaccomplishment of the play leaves Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli arsenic the lone 2 undefeated teams successful Europe's apical 5 leagues.

- This had been Madrid's longest unbeaten tally to commencement a LaLiga play since 2016-17, erstwhile they did not suffer until their 17th lucifer of the play (started 12-0-4, W-L-D).

Up next

Real Madrid: A speedy turnaround to shingle disconnected this nonaccomplishment arsenic Cadiz sojourn this Thursday. Then it's the World Cup interruption until their adjacent LaLiga lucifer Dec. 31 against Real Valladolid.

Rayo Vallecano: Next up volition beryllium Celta Vigo connected Thursday astatine location earlier the intermission successful play.