February 01, (THEWILL) — Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory against Rayo Vallecano in the 100th minute on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe converting a penalty at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The win moved Carlo Ancelotti’s side to within one point of LaLiga leaders Barcelona after a frustrating encounter that saw the visitors reduced to nine men.
Vinicius Junior gave Madrid the lead after 15 minutes with an excellent strike, twisting into the penalty area before curling his shot into the top-right corner.
Jude Bellingham had already departed with an injury, but the hosts appeared in control until Jorge de Frutos levelled the match with a well-taken finish from Alvaro Garcia’s pass.
Madrid dominated possession yet struggled to break down their opponents, with Mbappe striking the crossbar after rounding goalkeeper Augusto Batalla.
Thibaut Courtois made a crucial save to deny Andrei Ratiu, whilst Vinicius wastefully sent one effort over and Eduardo Camavinga hit the post late on.
Pathe Ciss received a red card for a reckless challenge on Dani Ceballos with 10 minutes remaining, leaving Rayo Vallecano to defend with 10 men.
Nobel Mendy then conceded a penalty deep into stoppage time when he kicked Brahim Diaz inside the area, allowing Mbappe to calmly slot into the bottom-left corner.
Pep Chavarria collected a second yellow card for pushing Rodrygo after the penalty, completing a miserable ending for the visitors.
The three points keep Madrid in close pursuit of Barcelona at the top of the table despite an uneven performance from the capital club.
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.
