Pedrosa and Álvaro blow up Comunio: 15 points to lead Rayo to victory

Rayo Vallecano

The match closed Rayo's home stage at Butarque before their scheduled return to Vallecas. Beñat San José's men arrived with four points and needed to respond after their defeat against Real Madrid, while Espanyol went into the matchday with seven points and coming off a win in Pamplona. The victory now leaves the Vallecas side also on seven points, with a record of two wins and a draw in their three games played at Butarque.

First half

Rayo did not need time to find the crack. In the 2nd minute, Álvaro García took advantage of a poor clearance by Omar El Hilali following a move by Pedro Díaz and put the hosts ahead. The goal strengthened a start in which Rayo played with more aggression, recovered the ball higher up, and attacked the spaces left by an Espanyol that was too deep.

The visitors barely managed to shake off that pressure. Rafa Bauza came close to equalizing with a shot from outside the box that went just wide of the post, but the response did not last. Rayo stepped on the gas again and found 2-0 through a combination between Álvaro and Adrià Pedrosa. The full-back burst forward with power, completed the wall and fired his left-footed strike past Dmitrovic to score against his former club.

The advantage could even have been bigger. Tsitaishvili went looking for goal with an attempt that just missed, and Sergio Camello had several chances to extend the gap, including a volley that ended up striking the crossbar. Espanyol went into the break without having tested Audero between the three posts and with huge difficulties to progress against a Rayo side that controlled the game from midfield and found depth out wide.

Second half

Manolo González made three changes at once and the scene changed completely. Bryan Zaragoza, Marcos Fernández and Edu Expósito came on after the break, and Espanyol pushed up, started arriving with more players, and forced Rayo to give up the control they had shown during the first 45 minutes.

The reward came quickly. In the 53rd minute, Roberto Fernández attacked the space, got into the area, cut inside before finishing, and placed the ball out of Audero's reach. It was the striker's sixth goal in this league start and, above all, the strike that turned an apparently controlled match into a test of resilience for the Madrid side.

From there, Espanyol took the initiative. Audero had to intervene against a powerful attempt from Riedel and also responded to a shot from Javi Hernández. Rayo reduced the risks, protected their area better, and tried to defend the advantage with a lower block, far from the dominant version of the first half.

The final phase kept the tension. Bryan Zaragoza had a good chance in stoppage time to level things up, but he did not find the target. In the 97th minute, Omar El Hilali was sent off, closing a difficult night for the defender after he had also been involved in the move that preceded the first goal. The score would not move again, and Rayo were able to say goodbye to Butarque with three points.

Comunio / Sofascore standout performers

35

Álvaro García
3.540.000€-20.000€15

J6

2

J5

4

J4

3

J3

2

J2

MD

22

For Rayo Vallecano, there was a tie at the top between Álvaro García and Adrià Pedrosa: both finished with 15 Comunio points and an 8.1 rating on Sofascore. Álvaro was the player who most affected the match, scoring the 1-0 and taking part directly in the build-up to the second goal. Pedrosa backed up his defensive work with a run from second line that ended in a goal, one of those performances that multiplies the value of a defender in fantasy formats.

Pathé Ciss also left a very interesting score, with 9 Comunio points and 7.8 on Sofascore. His presence in midfield helped explain Rayo's control during the first half, and when the script changed, he had to work much harder without the ball. Among the substitutes, Óscar Valentín made the most of his minutes to reach 7 Comunio points and a 7.3.

59

Roberto Fernández
12.120.000€+1.580.000€11

J6

12

J5

4

J4

10

J3

5

J2

DL

06

For Espanyol, the standout name was inevitably Roberto Fernández. His goal took him to 11 Comunio points and a 7.6 rating on Sofascore. Beyond the points, he again showed that he needs very little to create danger, and he remains a highly attractive fantasy asset as long as he keeps finding the net with this ease.

Hartman was another of the best-rated players for the Pericos, with 6 Comunio points and 7.1 on Sofascore, while the introduction of Edu Expósito helped improve the second half and allowed him to finish with 5 points and a 6.9. On the opposite flank, Moscardo wrapped up his performance with 0 Comunio points and 5.8 on Sofascore. There were no negative Comunio scores. Omar El Hilali, despite his sending off in stoppage time, finished with 2 Comunio points and 7.1 on Sofascore; his red card, though, adds a fantasy downside heading into the next matchdays.

Match details

Result: Rayo Vallecano 2-1 RCD Espanyol.

Goals: 1-0, Álvaro García (2'); 2-0, Adrià Pedrosa (25'); 2-1, Roberto Fernández (53').

Stadium: Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganés.

Referee: Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos. VAR: Javier Iglesias Villanueva. Omar El Hilali was sent off in stoppage time.

Rayo Vallecano: Emil Audero; Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Mujaid Sadick, Adrià Pedrosa; Pedro Díaz, Pathé Ciss, Unai López; Giorgi Tsitaishvili, Álvaro García and Sergio Camello. Also played Óscar Valentín, Gnangoro, Fran Pérez, Alemão and Iván Balliu.

RCD Espanyol: Marko Dmitrovic; Roger Hinojo, Leandro Cabrera, Omar El Hilali, Clemens Riedel, Quilindschy Hartman; Rafa Bauza, Urko González de Zárate, Javi Hernández, Gabriel Moscardo; Roberto Fernández. Marcos Fernández, Bryan Zaragoza, Edu Expósito, Cala and Pol Lozano also played.