Atlético Madrid’s eight-match unbeaten away run ground to a halt after they were beaten 3-0 by Rayo Vallecano, who secured a first H2H victory since February 2013.
Having been beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid in their last LaLiga game which came two weeks ago, Madrid’s other giant looked to heap more misery on the pre-match outsiders. But they almost granted their opponents a real prize in the opening stages, as Nobel Mendy turned Nicolás González’s cross against his own crossbar.
Playing in the unfamiliar surroundings of CD Leganés’ Estadio Ontime Butarque due to the poor condition of the pitch at Vallecas, Vallecano struggled to adapt to their new surroundings and almost found themselves behind when Álex Baena whistled an effort inches over the bar from 25 yards out.
Rayo grew into proceedings as the first half progressed though, and their improvement bore fruit too five minutes before the break, when Andrei Rațiu’s driven cross fell kindly for Fran Pérez, who fired into an unguarded goal.
A half-strength Atlético were visibly shell shocked, and their misery was compounded before the break when the ‘hosts’ doubled their advantage. Isi Palazón’s strike from the edge of the area proved to be the catalyst, forcing Jan Oblak to make a stunning one-handed save that fell perfectly into the path of a grateful Óscar Valentín who tapped in from close range.
