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First Division - Day 23

Rayo Vallecano 2 - Villarreal 0

Rayo: Toño; Tito, Zé Castro, Amaya, Nacho (Morcillo 78‘); Fatau, Jozabed; Licá (Alex Moreno 73‘), Alberto Bueno, Kakuta; Leo Baptistao (Manucho 63‘). 4-2-3-1.
Villarreal: Sergio Asenjo; Mario Gaspar, Víctor Ruíz, Dorado, Rukavina; Joel Campbell, Tomás Pina (Manu Trigueros 60‘), Sergio Marcos, Moi Gómez (Cheryshev 56‘); Giovani (Vietto 57‘), Gerard Moreno. 4-4-2.

Goals:
1-0. 51. Alberto Bueno. Controlled corner on far post and poked shot past Asenjo.
2-0. 69. Kakuta. Steered shot inside near post after Licá laid ball back from by-line.

Yellow cards: Tomás Pina 36’, Fatau 44’, Amaya 72’, Joel Campbell 82’.

Sixth placed Villarreal fall further away from the Champions League spots after they lost 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano. Coming in between a cup semi-final and a Europe League tie, Marcelino left several of his key players on the bench for this match, but even so Víctor Ruíz and Giovani both had good chances to put them in front before the break. Leo Baptistao and Licá both steered headers wide at the other end though, and some six minutes in to the second half Alberto Bueno gave the locals the lead, battling through to poke a shot past Asenjo after controlling a Jozabed corner. Marcelino was forced to bring on Cheryshev and Vietto, and the two combined almost immediately for the striker to hook a shot just over the top. Soon afterwards though Manucho headed on Zé Castro’s long clearance for Licá to set up Kakuta for the second, and although Vietto hit the post with a quarter of an hour to go, Paco Jémez’s team held on for a vital win which takes them seven points clear of the drop zone.