Rayo: Rubén; Tito, Gálvez,
Arbilla (Larrivey 50'), Nacho; Trashorras, Saúl Ñíguez;
Lass, Adrián González (Alberto Bueno 41'), Iago Falqué
(Adri Embarba 68'); Jonathan Viera. 4-2-3-1.
Madrid: Diego
López; Dani Carvajal (Arbeloa 58'), Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Coentrao
(Marcelo 44'); Modric, Xabi Alonso (Illarramendi 46'), Di María; Bale,
Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo. 4-3-3.
Goals:
0-1. 03. Ronaldo. Picked up long Modric pass and ran
on past Gálvez to score.
0-2. 31. Benzema. Steered header wide of
Rubén after Bale crossed from right.
0-3. 48. Ronaldo. Connected
with Bale cross to turn ball in from close to goal.
1-3. 53. Jonathan Viera
(penalty). After Pepe tripped Viera himself in front of goal.
2-3. 55.
Jonathan Viera (penalty). After Marcelo jumped in to Bueno inside area.
Yellow cards: Dani Carvajal 05', Xabi Alonso 10', Nacho 58', Di María 61', Marcelo 70', Tito 76', Trashorras 88'.
Real Madrid stay in touch with the leaders after a 2-3 win against city neighbours Rayo Vallecano on Saturday evening, although they almost threw it away in the end. Ancelotti's side got off to the best possible start, Ronaldo running on to Modric's pass to ghost past Gálvez and curl a shot past Rubén to open the scoring in only the third minute. And although Iago Falqué had a goal disallowed after his shot hit Jonathan Viera in an offside position, Benzema headed in Bale's cross to make it two with just over half an hour gone. When Ronaldo turned in another Bale cross some three minutes after the restart the game appeared to be over, but five minutes later Pepe tripped Viera inside the area, and the ex Las Palmas and Valencia flanker stepped up to fire home the resulting spot kick. Two minutes after that a header from Larrivey came back off the crossbar, and in the resulting play Marcelo gave away a second penalty on Alberto Bueno, which Viera also tucked away. And in the following minutes Paco Jémez's side threw everything forward, Diego López having to push a shot from Bueno on to the post, and Embarba going close a couple of times. Rubén did have to save a couple of late efforts by Ronaldo however, and in the end Rayo fell to another defeat which left them down at the bottom of the table by the end of the day.