This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/apr/08/rayo-vallecano-v-real-madrid-la-liga-live
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Rayo Vallecano v Real Madrid: La Liga – live! | Rayo Vallecano v Real Madrid: La Liga – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.49pm BST21:49 | |
| Half-time: Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Real Madrid | |
| The Rayo fans roar. Real Madrid’s players look perturbed. They’ll be six points behind Barcelona if it stays like this. | |
| 9.48pm BST21:48 | |
| 44 min: Casillas makes a fine save to deny Rayo the opening goal. Tito whips a glorious cross to the far post from the right and Trashorras arrives late and nuts his header goalwards from six yards out, only for Casillas to push it away! Trashorras should have scored. Moments later Nacho is booked. | |
| 9.44pm BST21:44 | |
| 41 min: This is a good opportunity for Ronaldo. James’s free-kick from the left reaches him six yards from goal and he heads over. His interminable wait for his 300th Real Madrid goal goes on. | |
| 9.42pm BST21:42 | |
| 40 min: Tito picks up Rayo’s first booking, cynically pulling Ronaldo back on the left. | |
| 9.42pm BST21:42 | |
| 39 min: Bale tries to slip a pass through to Benzema, but it’s a poor effort, easily cut out by Ze Castro. | |
| 9.40pm BST21:40 | |
| 37 min: This is extremely sluggish from Real. | |
| 9.38pm BST21:38 | |
| 35 min: Rayo almost press the self-destruct button and ruin all their good work! A dreadful backpass from Kakuta is almost seized upon by Benzema, but luckily for Rayo, Cobeno is alert to the danger and slides in to hack to the ball away. | |
| 9.37pm BST21:37 | |
| 33 min: This is the closest Rayo have come. Embarba swings a corner to the near post. It’s flicked on and hits Manucho on the ball, the deflection almost flashing past Casillas, who has to react smartly to plunge down low and grab the ball before it crosses the line. Real are not comfortable at all. | |
| 9.35pm BST21:35 | |
| 32 min: It’s not exactly backs-against-the-wall for Real, but they are offering very little. Rayo are firmly in control of this match, although there’s always the fear that they could be caught by Real’s speed on the break. | |
| 9.33pm BST21:33 | |
| 30 min: Modric slides a pass through to Ronaldo on the right. He tries to power towards goal, but he’s outmuscled by Nacho and goes to ground before looking plaintively at the referee. He is not getting a penalty. Not just yet, anyway. | |
| 9.31pm BST21:31 | |
| 28 min: Real get the corner away, but the pressure continues. Another cross is flung into the area and Ramos’s header falls to Amaya. He brings it down and shoots, but Ramos is in the way. This is one hell of a scrap for Real. | |
| 9.30pm BST21:30 | |
| 27 min: Embarba, a nifty little player, produces a couple of stepovers to confound Carvajal and then curls a cross into the middle. It’s just too high for Manucho and Varane heads it away. It’s not long before Embarba has won another corner, though. Rayo are showing no fear! It’s not in their DNA. | |
| 9.28pm BST21:28 | |
| 26 min: Real are running out of time in which to score nine goals. | |
| Updated at 9.28pm BST | |
| 9.26pm BST21:26 | |
| 23 min: Gareth Bale brilliantly wallops a left-footed volley past Cobeno after he was found by a lovely pass over the top from Modric, but the flag is up for offside. No goal! Which is presumably evidence of an anti-Madrid campaign or whatever. | |
| 9.24pm BST21:24 | 9.24pm BST21:24 |
| 22 min: Bueno stabs a pass through to Manucho, forcing Casillas to race out of his area and boot the ball out for a throw. Rayo are playing well. Real haven’t had a coherent attack for around 10 minutes. | 22 min: Bueno stabs a pass through to Manucho, forcing Casillas to race out of his area and boot the ball out for a throw. Rayo are playing well. Real haven’t had a coherent attack for around 10 minutes. |
| 9.22pm BST21:22 | 9.22pm BST21:22 |
| 20 min: James Rodriguez is booked for handball. He’ll miss the game against Eibar this weekend. | 20 min: James Rodriguez is booked for handball. He’ll miss the game against Eibar this weekend. |
| 9.22pm BST21:22 | 9.22pm BST21:22 |
| 19 min: Manucho picks Kroos’s pocket and sets up an attack down the left. They win another corner, but it’s overhit. Everyone was at the near post and the ball went over them all. | 19 min: Manucho picks Kroos’s pocket and sets up an attack down the left. They win another corner, but it’s overhit. Everyone was at the near post and the ball went over them all. |
| 9.19pm BST21:19 | 9.19pm BST21:19 |
| 17 min: “Evening Jacob, Rayo will be a sterner test for RM, that nine goal rout of Granada the other day might be enough to restart Real’s season they’ve flatlined since Xmas after being “Winter Champions”(Codswallop),” says John McEnerney. “They could end up with nothing this season & Carlo will be shown the door. Right now they don’t look like champions of anything forget about the Granada game, up against a top team they’d struggle big time. They’re dodgy at the back & will be punished by better teams than they face in La Liga week in week out. Big games ahead & their big game players need to put in big performances.” | 17 min: “Evening Jacob, Rayo will be a sterner test for RM, that nine goal rout of Granada the other day might be enough to restart Real’s season they’ve flatlined since Xmas after being “Winter Champions”(Codswallop),” says John McEnerney. “They could end up with nothing this season & Carlo will be shown the door. Right now they don’t look like champions of anything forget about the Granada game, up against a top team they’d struggle big time. They’re dodgy at the back & will be punished by better teams than they face in La Liga week in week out. Big games ahead & their big game players need to put in big performances.” |
| And of course they lost the Clasico. They played well until Suarez’s winner that night and collapsed after they went 2-1 down. The response was worryingly meek. | And of course they lost the Clasico. They played well until Suarez’s winner that night and collapsed after they went 2-1 down. The response was worryingly meek. |
| 9.18pm BST21:18 | 9.18pm BST21:18 |
| 16 min: Gael Kakuta shoots from 40 yards and | 16 min: Gael Kakuta shoots from 40 yards and |
| obviously he scores | obviously he scores |
| the ball jets off in the general direction of the Bernabeu. | the ball jets off in the general direction of the Bernabeu. |
| 9.17pm BST21:17 | 9.17pm BST21:17 |
| 15 min: Gael Kakuta, future Ballon d’Or winner, dances easily away from two Real players on the right and moves the ball on to Bueno. He lets fly from 25 yards with his left foot and Casillas has to get down and push the ball wide for a corner. | 15 min: Gael Kakuta, future Ballon d’Or winner, dances easily away from two Real players on the right and moves the ball on to Bueno. He lets fly from 25 yards with his left foot and Casillas has to get down and push the ball wide for a corner. |
| 9.15pm BST21:15 | 9.15pm BST21:15 |
| 12 min: Kakuta, the legend of Stamford Bridge, drops a shoulder and sprays a pass out to Embarba on the left. Embarba moves on to his right foot and clips a 20-yarder a few yards wide of the far post. Casillas was worried. He dived. That all came from Kakuta. What a player he is. He could be the answer for Chelsea, you know. | 12 min: Kakuta, the legend of Stamford Bridge, drops a shoulder and sprays a pass out to Embarba on the left. Embarba moves on to his right foot and clips a 20-yarder a few yards wide of the far post. Casillas was worried. He dived. That all came from Kakuta. What a player he is. He could be the answer for Chelsea, you know. |
| 9.13pm BST21:13 | 9.13pm BST21:13 |
| 10 min: Gael Kakuta, though! What a fuss Chelsea made to get him. He’s still their player as well. He’s only on loan at Rayo, one of Chelsea’s 432 loanees. Back to the football, Real create another chance and James fluffs it. Modric releases Carvajal on the right and he cuts it back to James, who sidefoots his shot straight at Cobeno. | 10 min: Gael Kakuta, though! What a fuss Chelsea made to get him. He’s still their player as well. He’s only on loan at Rayo, one of Chelsea’s 432 loanees. Back to the football, Real create another chance and James fluffs it. Modric releases Carvajal on the right and he cuts it back to James, who sidefoots his shot straight at Cobeno. |
| Updated at 9.20pm BST | Updated at 9.20pm BST |
| 9.11pm BST21:11 | 9.11pm BST21:11 |
| 9 min: Gael Kakuta - remember him? - turns away from Toni Kroos and skews a shot well wide from 20 yards. | 9 min: Gael Kakuta - remember him? - turns away from Toni Kroos and skews a shot well wide from 20 yards. |
| 9.10pm BST21:10 | 9.10pm BST21:10 |
| 8 min: James is such a lovely player. He finds space on the left and hangs a ball towards the far post. It drops on to Ronaldo’s right foot and he angles one just wide of the far post. Close. | 8 min: James is such a lovely player. He finds space on the left and hangs a ball towards the far post. It drops on to Ronaldo’s right foot and he angles one just wide of the far post. Close. |
| 9.09pm BST21:09 | 9.09pm BST21:09 |
| 7 min: James tries to send Benzema through on goal. The flag goes up for offside. | 7 min: James tries to send Benzema through on goal. The flag goes up for offside. |
| 9.07pm BST21:07 | 9.07pm BST21:07 |
| 4 min: Rayo continue to press. Bueno curls a free-kick from 25 yards into the wall. Not very bueno. Does that make sense? Not sure. It’s late. And soon Rayo have another corner. Real are under pressure here. Rayo fancy this, but nothing comes from the corner again. | 4 min: Rayo continue to press. Bueno curls a free-kick from 25 yards into the wall. Not very bueno. Does that make sense? Not sure. It’s late. And soon Rayo have another corner. Real are under pressure here. Rayo fancy this, but nothing comes from the corner again. |
| 9.05pm BST21:05 | 9.05pm BST21:05 |
| 2 min: This is a bright start. Embarba cuts in from the left and curls a cross towards Manucho, who’s unmarked at the far post. Ramos stretches to head it over for a corner, which comes to nothing. That was an important intervention. | 2 min: This is a bright start. Embarba cuts in from the left and curls a cross towards Manucho, who’s unmarked at the far post. Ramos stretches to head it over for a corner, which comes to nothing. That was an important intervention. |
| 9.03pm BST21:03 | 9.03pm BST21:03 |
| And we’re off! Real, all in black, get the ball rolling and they’re kicking from right to left in the first half. Rayo are wearing white shirts with a red stripe down the middle. | And we’re off! Real, all in black, get the ball rolling and they’re kicking from right to left in the first half. Rayo are wearing white shirts with a red stripe down the middle. |
| 8.58pm BST20:58 | 8.58pm BST20:58 |
| Here come the players! Soon there will be football. Please keep me company during it. | Here come the players! Soon there will be football. Please keep me company during it. |
| 8.51pm BST20:51 | 8.51pm BST20:51 |
| It’s finished Barcelona 4-0 Almeria. Over to Real. They really need to win. | It’s finished Barcelona 4-0 Almeria. Over to Real. They really need to win. |
| 8.50pm BST20:50 | 8.50pm BST20:50 |
| It’s 4-0 to Barcelona! Pedro brilliantly sets up Luis Suarez for his second and they’re going seven points clear of Real Madrid. The pressure is on them now. | It’s 4-0 to Barcelona! Pedro brilliantly sets up Luis Suarez for his second and they’re going seven points clear of Real Madrid. The pressure is on them now. |
| 8.32pm BST20:32 | 8.32pm BST20:32 |
| Barcelona can’t stop scoring from set-pieces. Marc Bartra heads in from a corner to make it 3-0 with 15 minutes to go and any minute now Luis Enrique is going to pull away a mask and reveal that he’s actually Sam Allardyce. | Barcelona can’t stop scoring from set-pieces. Marc Bartra heads in from a corner to make it 3-0 with 15 minutes to go and any minute now Luis Enrique is going to pull away a mask and reveal that he’s actually Sam Allardyce. |
| 8.18pm BST20:18 | 8.18pm BST20:18 |
| The teams! | The teams! |
| Rayo Vallecano: Cobeno; Tito, Zé Castro, Amaya, Nacho; Fatau, Trashorras; Kakuta, Bueno, Embarba; Manucho. | Rayo Vallecano: Cobeno; Tito, Zé Castro, Amaya, Nacho; Fatau, Trashorras; Kakuta, Bueno, Embarba; Manucho. |
| Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, James; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo. | Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, James; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo. |
| Updated at 9.20pm BST | Updated at 9.20pm BST |
| 8.13pm BST20:13 | 8.13pm BST20:13 |
| Barcelona, the leaders, are playing now. They lead Almeria 2-0 at Camp Nou in the second half. Leo Messi got the first with a peach of a goal and Luis Suarez has just added another. | Barcelona, the leaders, are playing now. They lead Almeria 2-0 at Camp Nou in the second half. Leo Messi got the first with a peach of a goal and Luis Suarez has just added another. |
| 8.13pm BST20:13 | 8.13pm BST20:13 |
| Actually Real probably won’t get into double figures tonight. Rayo, their Madrid neighbours, are eighth in La Liga. | Actually Real probably won’t get into double figures tonight. Rayo, their Madrid neighbours, are eighth in La Liga. |
| 8.00pm BST20:00 | 8.00pm BST20:00 |
| Preamble | Preamble |
| So how many will Real Madrid score tonight? Eight? Nine? Ten? Eleven? One hundred? One million? None? There’s a prize for the person who guesses correctly! | So how many will Real Madrid score tonight? Eight? Nine? Ten? Eleven? One hundred? One million? None? There’s a prize for the person who guesses correctly! |
| Kick-off: 9pm in England, 10pm in Spain. | Kick-off: 9pm in England, 10pm in Spain. |