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Real Madrid came from two goals down to draw 3-3 against Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Vallecas in LaLiga on Saturday, December 14. The result means Los Blancos miss out on an opportunity to go top, trailing Barcelona by a point in second place. The hosts remain 13th in the table with 20 points.
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Real Madrid made a poor start to the contest and were stunned in the early stages as Rayo Vallecano grabbed the lead. Unai Lopez scored to make it 1-0 in the fourth minute after getting to the end of Jorge de Frutos' pass. The pressure was on the defending champions as they conceded early momentum. The visitors kept the ball well but were unable to break the hosts' lines.
Ray Vallecano doubled their lead in the 36th minute as defender Abdul Mumin scored after a nice pass from Isi Palazon. This time, Real Madrid responded like champions as Arda Guler set Federico Valverde up for a thumping strike by the Uruguayan to make it 2-1 in the 39th minute.
Jude Bellingham then produced a moment of brilliance as he nodded in the equalizer after a pinpoint delivery by Rodrygo. Despite making a poor start to the game, Real Madrid were level with Rayo Vallecano at the interval.
Real Madrid looked to capitalize on their momentum created late in the first half and began the second period with the same intensity. This approach paid off as Guler grabbed his second assist of the night, setting up Rodrygo for another stunning goal to make it 3-2. Both managers then made a few changes as they looked to tilt the odds in their team's favour.
Rayo Vallecano showed great spirit though, and despite having 36% possession in the second period, they looked threatening on the odd break. Palazon brought the hosts level in the game with a lovely goal in the 64th minute after an assist by defender Florian Lejeune. Both teams pushed forward in search of a late winner but were unable to create anything substantial.
The game came to an end as Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano shared the points after a 3-3 draw. On that note, let's take a look at Los Blancos' player ratings.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois - 6/10
Courtois had a subpar game for Real Madrid as he made two saves but conceded three goals as well.
Lucas Vazquez - 6.5/10
Vazquez put in a decent defensive shift as he won six duels, making one clearance, two tackles and one interception.
Aurelien Tchouameni - 6.5/10
Tchouameni had a busy evening in defence as he won six duels, making one clearance, one block and one interception.
Antonio Rudiger - 6/10
Rudiger had a mixed evening as he made one error that led to a shot and won just two duels, but also made seven clearances, one block and one interception.
Fran Garcia - 6.5/10
Garcia put in a decent performance on the left flank as he won six duels, making five clearances and two interceptions. He also played one accurate cross.
Federico Valverde - 7.5/10
Valverde scored a great goal to bring his team back into the contest just after falling two goals behind. He also played one key pass and five long balls as well.
Luka Modric - 6.5/10
Modric captained Los Blancos but looked slightly off color. He failed to play a single key pass and could not win a single duel either.
Arda Guler - 8/10
Guler had a great game on the right side of midfield as he bagged himself two assists. He attempted three shots but all were off-target. Guler also won five duels.
Jude Bellingham - 7.5/10
Bellingham showed his importance to the team and his clutch gene was on full display as he scored to make it 2-2. He also played one key pass and won six duels.
Brahim Diaz - 6.5/10
Diaz played one key pass and won four duels, but failed to attempt a single shot and did not play a single cross either.
Rodrygo - 8.5/10
Rodrygo had a great game as he was highly active in the final third, making darting runs at goal. He scored one goal and provided an assist as well. The Brazilian also won five duels.
Substitutes
Vinicius Junior - 6.5/10
He replaced Diaz but could not make an impact on the game.
Eduardo Camavinga - 6.5/10
He replaced Modric but could not affect the proceedings much.
Dani Ceballos - 6.5/10
He replaced Guler but could not make the same impact as him.
Endrick - 6.5/10
He was brought on for Vazquez but did not offer much towards the end of the game.
