Rayo Vallecano 4 - Racing Santander 1

Rayo: Lopetegui; Alcázar, De Quintana, Ballesteros, Mingo; Helder, Poschner, Quevedo (Mauro 46'), Michel (Setvalls 82'); Bolic, Bolo (Glaucio 65'). 4-4-2.
Racing: Ceballos;Tais (Estévez 70'), Arzeno, Txema, Mellberg, Sietes; Manjarín, Espina, Jaime, Amavisca; Rushfeldt (Morán 75'). 5-4-1.

Team changes: Rayo: Helder, Bolic for Iván Iglesias, Pablo Sanz / Racing: Tais, Txema, Manjarín, Rushfeldt for Pineda, Estévez, Bestchastnykh, Preciado.

Goals:
0-1. 07. Jaime. Free kick from left which everyone missed.
1-1. 19. Michel. On far post after long cross from right.
2-1. 52. Bolic. Long header over keeper after cross from Helder on right.
3-1. 79. Mauro. Shot from right which deflected off Arzeno into net.
4-1. 91. Mellberg (own goal). Turned into own net after keeper saved from Mauro.

Rayo Vallecano moved back up to fourth in the table with another high scoring win which eventually cost Racing Santander manager Andoni Goikoetxea his job. Despite the large margin, Racing Santander didn't play so badly, and club president Miguel Angel Díaz ratified the manager in his position after the game. In football however that can be a Judas kiss, and only a couple of days later the board of directors decided they had had enough, and Goiko had to go, being replaced by ex Valladolid manager, Gregorio Manzano. His first job will be to find some new players for the rest of the season, although the striker's position may already be filled, the club being close to signing Lausanne centre forward, Argentinian Javier Mazzoni. Since losing Salva and Munitis last season, Racing have not find the right combination up front, and none of the current incumbents have been consistently convincing.

Rushfeldt was the man chosen to find the net this time in a blatantly defensive line up, and they did score first, although it was a midfielder, Jaime, who got it in the seventh minute. His curling free kick from the left was never meant to be an attempt at goal though, and the ball bounced twice through a crowded goalmouth before finding the corner of Lopetegui's goal. Michel's equaliser a few minutes later was much of the same, Alcázar's cross being missed by everyone before Michel finally connected on the far post. The rest of the first half was a dull affair, with the ball bouncing around midfield for much of the time.

Bolic injected some life into the game though after the interval, with a spectacular headed goal from a long pass from Helder out on the right. Then in the last ten minutes Rayo made the score look flattering with two rather fortunate goals, the first from substitute Mauro only two minutes after coming on when his shot took a deflection from Arzeno, and the second an own goal by Mellberg. The Rayo fans didn't mind, they all count and they go ahead of Real Madrid as the highest scoring team in the league, although they are still a point and a place behind the capital team in the league placings. They return to the Teresa Rivera stadium in four days time for their UEFA cup match with Lokomotiv Moscow, and on this type of form their name should be in the hat for the next round. Racing go back to Santander full of doubts, and Manzano has some work to do if he is to get them off the next to bottom slot that they currently occupy.