Real Madrid thrashes Rayo Vallecano, but doubts remain

Real Madrid C.F.

The Madrid side headed into matchday five with 9 points and the need to bounce back in La Liga after their stumble against Betis, while Rayo arrived with four points and several major absences, including those of the suspended Jorge de Frutos and Fran Pérez. José Mourinho made changes from the European match against Inter and handed starts to names such as Rüdiger, Carreras, Bernardo Silva and Yan Diomande. The win leaves the Whites on 12 points, level with Barcelona, who still have a game in hand.

First half

The game tilted very quickly towards the goal of Emil Audero. Carreras attacked the area from the left side and Florian Lejeune arrived late, conceding the penalty that allowed Mbappé to open the scoring from the spot. The Frenchman made no mistake and gave Madrid the calm they needed to play with space.

Just a few minutes later, the Mbappé and Álvaro Carreras partnership struck again. The full-back advanced, combined with the forward and finished the move with a low left-footed shot to make it 2-0. Madrid were finding advantages with increasing ease every time they sped down the flank, and Carreras became one of the team's main attacking focal points while also doing his defensive work.

Rayo struggled to stop those transitions and to protect their own area. Yan Diomande, starting for the first time, also looked for a goal after an individual run, although his shot went wide. The third finally arrived through another of Madrid's big attacking arguments: Vinícius Júnior started from the left, gained ground and found Bellingham with a cut-back pass. The Englishman attacked the space and finished with an inside-foot strike to make it 3-0 before halftime.

More than a constant accumulation of chances, the difference was the efficiency of Madrid when they found space. Mbappé was directly involved in the first two goals, Vinícius created the third and Bellingham once again read the game perfectly, knowing exactly when to leave the build-up zone to appear inside the area.

Second half

Rayo did not come out resigned. Mourinho introduced Eduardo Camavinga for Valverde at halftime, but it was the visitors who found the reward first. A lapse in concentration from the Madrid side allowed Andrei Ratiu to extend the move and Sergio Camello appeared inside the area to anticipate and beat Courtois. The 3-1 changed the tone for a few minutes and forced Madrid to regain their focus.

Rayo pushed higher and had their best spell. That is when Thibaut Courtois showed up, preventing the second away goal from fully opening up the match. His performance explains his strong fantasy numbers despite conceding: the Belgian responded when Vallecas' side managed to get forward with danger.

Mourinho refreshed the midfield with Aurélien Tchouaméni and later brought on Arda Güler. The Turk again left his mark in just a few minutes. From a free kick delivered by him came a dangerous header from Dumfries that forced Audero to intervene. That output in such a short time on the pitch also showed up in his fantasy score.

When Rayo had already spent much of their energy trying to get back in the game, Mbappé put the finishing touch. The Frenchman received near the area and unleashed a crisp, driven shot that beat Audero to complete his brace. The 4-1 ended up confirming a victory built on the first half's finishing, although the period after Camello's goal also served as a defensive warning for Madrid.

Top Comunio / Sofascore performers

58

Mbappé
25.770.000€+270.000€19

J5

-1

J4

15

J3

2

J2

23

J1

DL

16

For Real Madrid, the standout fantasy name was Kylian Mbappé: 19 Comunio points and 9.4 on Sofascore. Two goals and a constant threat explain a score worthy of a standout player. In matchdays when Madrid have space, it becomes clear again that their fantasy ceiling is huge.

Álvaro Carreras was not far behind, climbing to 16 Comunio points and an 8.8 on Sofascore. He won the penalty for the first goal, scored the second and provided continuous depth from the full-back position. His ability to rack up attacking actions gives him a particularly interesting profile in Comunio when he manages to combine solidity at the back with presence near the rival box.

Jude Bellingham completed the Madrid podium with 14 points and an 8.1. His goal once again confirmed one of his biggest fantasy strengths: he does not need to play as a striker to arrive in scoring positions. Courtois also stood out with 9 points and 7.8, and Rüdiger with 9 points and 7.7. Off the bench, Arda Güler made especially good use of his minutes and finished with 10 points and 7.8, a very eye-catching figure coming in at the 72nd minute.

62

Sergio Camello
8.680.000€+290.000€12

J5

19

J4

16

J3

12

J2

3

J1

DL

16

For Rayo Vallecano, Sergio Camello was clearly the most profitable player: 12 Comunio points and 7.8 on Sofascore. Not only did he score Rayo's only goal, but he also showed again that he can produce even in a very complicated scenario. Just behind were Gnangoro Bouaré and Óscar Valentín, both on 5 points and 6.9, while Pathé Ciss reached 4 points with a rating of 6.8.

The other fantasy side came from the away defence. Florian Lejeune finished with -2 Comunio points and a 5.0 on Sofascore on a night marked by the penalty conceded on Carreras. Andrei Ratiu also ended up in the negative, with -1 point and a 5.6. Those are two scores that hit hard anyone who backed Rayo's back line in this matchday.

Match details

Result: Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano.

Goals: 1-0, Mbappé, penalty; 2-0, Álvaro Carreras; 3-0, Bellingham; 3-1, Sergio Camello; 4-1, Mbappé.

Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu.

Referee: Víctor García Verdura.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras; Bernardo Silva, Valverde; Yan Diomande, Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior; Mbappé.

Rayo Vallecano: Emil Audero; Ratiu, Lejeune, Pathé Ciss, Adrià Pedrosa; Unai López, Bouaré; Tsitaishvili, Pedro Díaz, Álvaro García; Sergio Camello.