February 15, (THEWILL) — Rayo Vallecano inflicted a second consecutive LaLiga loss on Atletico Madrid with a commanding 3-0 victory at the Estadio Ontime Butarque on Sunday.
Diego Simeone’s team arrived on the back of an emphatic Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg win against Barcelona but failed to find any rhythm in this encounter.
The hosts created the opening chance when Pacha Espino broke through Atletico’s defensive line in the 31st minute, only for Jan Oblak to push his powerful effort away.
Inigo Perez’s side took a deserved lead five minutes before half-time through Fran Perez, who converted Andrei Ratiu’s cross. Moments later, Oscar Valentin doubled the advantage by pouncing on the rebound after Oblak had denied Isi Palazon, following Clement Lenglet’s careless giveaway.
Atletico threatened briefly when Nico Gonzalez forced a goalline clearance before the interval.
The midfielder then tested Augusto Batalla twice around the hour mark, but the goalkeeper stood firm on both occasions.
Simeone introduced Julian Alvarez and Ademola Lookman in search of a response, yet the visitors fell further behind with 14 minutes remaining.
Nobel Mendy headed home Alvaro Garcia’s delivery from a short corner routine to complete the scoring.
The defeat leaves Atletico struggling for consistency in the league despite their recent cup success.
Rayo, meanwhile, claimed an impressive three points that will boost their campaign significantly.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
