Rayo Vallecano 0 - Alavés 1

Rayo: Lopetegui; Alcázar, De Quintana, Ballesteros, Mingo; Helder, Quevedo, Poschner, Michel; Bolic, Bolo. 4-4-2.
Alavés: Herrera; Contra, Karmona, Eggen, Téllez, Geli; Tomic, Desio, Pablo; Jordi Cruyff, Javi Moreno. 5-3-2.

Team changes: Rayo: Bolic, Poschner for Glaucio, Iván Iglesias / Alavés: Eggen for Magno.

Goals:
0-1. 05. Javi Moreno. Lifted past keeper on second attempt after centre by Cruyff.

Rayo Vallecano lost their unbeaten record tonight after eleven games between league and European competitions. Their opponents Alavés also had a record to defend, having not lost away from home this season in their five previous games in both competitions. Both sides came in to this game having played UEFA cup ties on Thursday night, with Alavés likely to be the most tired having played away in Norway. However at Lilleström they rested their two first choice front men, Jordi Cruyff and Javi Moreno, and they were to prove match winners in this game.

Rayo's manager Juande Ramos kept a similar side to the ones who had won at home against Real Sociedad the weekend before and also against Viborg midweek, with Poschner returning from a one match league suspension in midfield. However they were caught out early in the game, with Cruyff charging down the right and putting a cross towards Moreno. Although he failed to control it with his head at the first attempt, the ball ballooning upwards, he ran forward to beat Lopetegui to it and lift it past the keeper into the net. Moreno appeared to have scored again a few minutes later, but the referee awarded a foul and in the action replay it could ver clearly seen that he controlled it with his hand.

Although Rayo were getting most of the possession, Alavés were the more dangerous on the break, and Moreno won himself a penalty early in the second half . However Lopetegui guessed right, and saved the forward's kick. Rayo attacked down the right, and Michel left his defender stranded to cross for Setvalls to shoot, but Karmona cleared off the line with his keeper beaten. Glaucio then fired a shot against the bottom of the post, but the ball bounced clear of danger. After Herrera saved from Glaucio the referee called time, and Alavés move abovetheir opponents into third place in the league, level on points with second placed Real Madrid and fourth placed Deportivo. Rayo drop to sixth, two points behind the Vitoria team.