Mbappé’s dramatic late penalty rescues Real Madrid in win over Rayo Vallecano

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Kylian Mbappé scored a stoppage-time penalty to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.

Vinicius Junior gave Real Madrid a deserved lead in the 15th minute with a brilliant individual effort, cutting inside from the left and curling a precise shot into the top right corner via the post.

The hosts dominated the first half, enjoying 64% possession and creating several chances through Arda Güler and Vinicius.

Rayo Vallecano equalized four minutes into the second half when Alvaro Garcia delivered a precise pass to Jorge de Frutos, who finished calmly past Thibaut Courtois to make it 1-1.

The match became increasingly fractious. Pathe Ciss was shown a straight red card in the 80th minute for a dangerous challenge, leaving Rayo with 10 men.

Real Madrid pushed hard for a winner, but were repeatedly frustrated by goalkeeper Augusto Batalla and some wasteful finishing, including a missed chance by Rodrygo and a header from Eduardo Camavinga that struck the post.

In the dying moments, Nobel Mendy tripped a Real Madrid player inside the penalty area, prompting referee Isidro Diaz to award a penalty after a VAR check. Mbappé stepped up and coolly sent Batalla the wrong way, slotting the ball into the bottom left corner to snatch all three points deep into nine minutes of added time.

The win keeps Real Madrid firmly in the title race, though they were made to work extremely hard by a resilient Rayo side that defended bravely and threatened on the counter.

Jude Bellingham was forced off early with an injury, replaced by Brahim Diaz.