Real Madrid were 2-1 victors against a dangerous Rayo Vallecano team, a win that took them to the top of the table at least temporarily, although having played a game less than Real Sociedad, who were leading the league until before the game.
Goals from Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema sealed the deal for Real Madrid, who played a great game till a certain point in the second half, after which all hell almost broke loose. They still managed to get out of the game as winners, but Ancelotti wouldn’t be too proud of the way his team performed at the end.
What are my three burning questions from this win?
What in the world happened to Real Madrid after the 70th minute?
These last two games have made me realise that Real Madrid don’t like winning games comfortably. They like to make the fans feel like it’s slipping away before finally sealing the deal. That was the case against Shakhtar, a game in which the team just didn’t play well at all, and Shakhtar kept getting numerous chances to get back into the game. Heroics from Karim Benzema and Vinicius got them the three points, which otherwise would’ve seemed like a distant dream.
Against Rayo, it wasn’t as bad. It was actually pretty good till the 70th minute, Real were dominating the game and there was little to nothing that Rayo were able to do to change it. But, after the 70th minute, they just flipped a switch. Both teams did.
Rayo started creating chances, and Real Madrid started being complacent, which resulted in them conceding a goal by virtue of Rayo’s very own supersub Radamel Falcao, a player that was undroppable during his prime. Rayo were playing well even after scoring the goal, they didn’t stop creating danger, and came very, very close to scoring an equaliser.
If it wasn’t for Kroos’ goal-line clearance, Real wouldn’t have taken home the three points. There was no threat from Los Blancos after the 70th minute, and it all just looked really chaotic. The win is all that matters, but Real Madrid have to be better at closing games. This simply cannot go on.