The history of league derbies between Lightning and Real Madrid in Vallecas began in 1977 with the triumph of the so-called ‘Matagigantes’, led by Felines and Poteleand had its last episode in 2019, when the white team, led by the French Zinedine Zidanegave up with a goal from Adrián Embarba.
Eighteen times the faces have been seen Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid in Vallecas in league competition, with a balance of results favorable to Real Madrid, who have won thirteen times, drawn once and lost four times.
The first showdown between both teams was on October 30, 1977, in the match corresponding to the eighth day of the 1977/1978 League. El Rayo, who was in his first season in the top flight and was led by the Uruguayan Hector Nunez, won 3-2 against a Real Madrid trained by louis molowny and in which players like Del Bosque, Pirri or Camacho.
That meeting would be the starting point for a Rayo that was called ‘Matagigantes’ due to its ability to beat teams like Atlético, Valencia, Athletic or Barcelona as it passed through Vallecas.
Real Madrid’s first victory in Vallecas came on September 16, 1979, in the third visit to the red-and-red fiefdom. Two goals from the German Uli Stielike and Carlos Santillana traced the beginning of Robles and served to win 1-2, in what was the first win away from home for the Serbian coach Vujadin Boskov in front of the merengue team.
Ten years after that match, both teams played a league derby again. Real Madrid, with the ‘Quinta del Vulture’, He arrived in Vallecas on September 22, 1989 and won 1-2, something he could not repeat in 1992, when he lost 2-0. That night of December 6, the white team, which formed its eleven with Manolo Sanchís, Míchel, Martín Vázquez and Emilio Butragueño, succumbed in Vallecas (2-0) thanks to goals from Pedro Riesco and the Austrian Anton Polster.
The next two derbies were for Real Madrid. In addition, the game played on September 3, 1995 was the biggest win recorded to date, with a 1-5 victory in favor of the white team, who had a campaign to forget, finishing in sixth place in the table.
In that game, a very young Raul Gonzalez JuHe was at the point of attack for Real Madrid, although he failed to score. Yes they did it Quique Flores, Sandro, Amavisca and Fernando Hierro twice.
Rayo’s third victory in Vallecas against Real Madrid took place on February 19, 1997. A solitary goal from the Argentine Ezekiel Castillo at 35 minutes it served so that the team trained by Fabio Capello, in which the attacking pair formed by the Montenegrin stood out Pedja Mijatovic and Croatian Davor Suker, left empty.
The following nine games fell on the Madrid side, including the one played on November 6, 1999, with the historic Rayo de Juande Ramos who finished the season qualified to play in the UEFA Cup.
A date that Rayo fans will remember will be November 9, 2002, the day on which the ‘Galácticos’ Real Madrid arrived in Vallecas and took the victory (2-3) in the 90th minute thanks to a goal from Portuguese Louis Fig. In that match, the red-and-red fans were able to see players of the stature of the Frenchman on the pitch Zinedine Zidane, the Argentinian Santiago Solari and the brazilians Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo Nazario.
Another remembered date of the derbies is that of September 23, 2012. That day a match had to be played that had to be postponed twenty-four hours due to the blackout suffered in Vallecas minutes before the start of the match due to the cut of some electricity cables on one side of the stadium.
Due to this incident, the game was postponed the following day and Real Madrid, led by the Portuguese Jose Mourinho, won 0-2 with goals from the French Karim Benzema y Cristian Ronaldo penalty.
The last time that Rayo and Real Madrid met was almost three years ago, on April 28, 2019. The Vallecano team, with a goal from Embarba at 22 minutes, he won (1-0) against the Madrid team, led by Zinedine Zidane and in which they played in attack Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz.
The next chapter between Rayo and Real Madrid in Vallecas will be written on Saturday, February 26. The Vallecano team arrives at the meeting after six games without a win and the white team, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, as the outstanding leader of the championship.
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