On 25 November, one of the matches of the 14th round of the Spanish football championship took place. Rayo Vallecano (Spain) and Barcelona (Spain) met.
Spanish Championship, 14th round
RayoVallecano (Spain) - Barcelona (Spain) - 1:1 (1:0)
Goals: Unai Lopez (39) - Lejeune (82)
Warnings: Pedri (31), Oriol Romeu (52), Alfonso Espino (64), Unai Lopez (70), Falcao (90), Joao Felix (90+2), de Jong (90+4).
In an exciting football match held at the Estadio de Vallecas, Rayo Vallecano faced Barcelona in La Liga. The first half of the match was a tense struggle, with both teams doing their best to gain an advantage. In the 39th minute Rayo Vallecano scored the first goal and U. Lopez headed the ball into the net. Barcelona, not wanting to give up, tried to equalise before the half-time whistle. However, their attempts were foiled by the resolute defence of Rayo Vallecano. The second half ended 1-0. At the start of the second half, tension was in the air as the teams fought for control of the game. Barcelona were determined to close the gap, but Rayo Vallecano put up stubborn resistance. In the 52nd minute, Barcelona's O. Romeu received a yellow card, which further complicated the team's situation. In an attempt to change the dynamics of the game, Barcelona made two quick substitutions in the 55th minute. О. Romeu was replaced by I. Gundogan, and F. Torres came on in place of Joao Felix. These substitutions gave Barcelona new strength, and in the 64th minute Rayo Vallecano's A. Espino was sent off for a foul, which further increased the intensity of the match.
In the 68th minute Rayo Vallecano made two substitutions: O. Trejo was replaced by C. Perez, and J. de Fresa made two substitutions. Perez, and J. de Frutos was replaced by Bebe. Barcelona responded with a third substitution in the 75th minute: Pedri was replaced by F. Lopez. Rayo Vallecano also made a third substitution: A. Mumin replaced P. Cisse. Trying to save the match, Barcelona made a fourth substitution: L. Yamal came on the pitch instead of Rafinha. In the final stage of the game the tension on the pitch was growing. Barcelona's hopes for salvation were not justified when F. Lejeune scored an own goal in the 82nd minute, levelling the score. In the final minutes of the match, both teams strived for the winning goal. Yellow cards were shown to Rayo Vallecano's R. Falcao and Barcelona's Joao Felix and F. de Jong, as a huge fight broke out on the pitch. Despite the late drama, neither team was able to score the winning goal and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. This result will leave both teams with mixed feelings. Rayo Vallecano will be proud that they were able to defend against one of the La Liga giants, while Barcelona will be disappointed that they were unable to take all three points. Nevertheless, it was an exciting match that demonstrated the competitive nature of La Liga and the excitement that football can bring to fans around the world.
In the next round, the following matches await the rivals: Athletic vs Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona vs Atletico.
| Rayo Vallecano | Barcelona | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kicks to the goal | 4 |
| 11 | Kicks | 15 |
| 4 | Blocked shots | 5 |
| 3 | Penalty kicks | 11 |
| 8 | Penalty kicks | 4 |
| 23 | Offences | 12 |
| 1 | Corner | 4 |
| 1 | Offsides | 1 |
| 33% | Ball possession | 67% |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 4 | Keeper saves | 3 |
| 288 | Total assists | 591 |
| 209 | Accurate assists | 526 |
| 73% | Accuracy of passes | 89% |