Real Madrid Win As Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe Score; Jude Bellingham Injured

A late, if rather fortuitous, Kylian Mbappe penalty bailed out Real Madrid as they edged Rayo Vallecano, 2-1, on Sunday. Los Blancos were poor for most of the game, but a spot-kick deep into second-half stoppage time, converted by Mbappe, handed them a narrow win to stay within a point of Liga leaders Barcelona. Vinicius Jr also found the net in what was an unconvincing victory at the Bernabeu. Madrid started poorly, and could have gone down 1-0 within five minutes when Ilias Akhomach dragged wide with acres of space in the box. Things then got worse for the hosts when they suffered an injury blow, with Jude Bellingham picking up a hamstring injury that forced him off in the 10th minute. Vinicius eventually opened the scoring with a lovely bit of play, as he created space for himself on the edge of the area before curling a shot into the top right corner. There were further chances for Alvaro Arbeloa’s side to double their lead, as Brahim Diaz fired wide while a cut-back from Mbappe fell just short of its intended recipient. Vallecono capitalised on their hosts profligacy early in the second half when Jorge de Frutos grabbed the equaliser, sneaking in front of Aurelien Tchouameni to finish under Thibaut Courtois. They looked certain to add a second, too, when Andrei Ratiu scampered through on goal, but Courtois rushed off his line to deny him. Mbappe should have given Madrid the lead again when he rounded the ‘keeper midway through the second period, but his shot cannoned off the bar and out. Eduardo Camavinga also came close when he nodded a header off the outside of the post. In the end, Madrid were fortunate as, after Pathe Ciss had been sent off, nine minutes of stoppage time were added on, and a clumsy challenge in the box from Nobel Mendy gave the hosts a 98th-minute penalty that Mbappe, unsurprisingly, converted. GOAL rates Madrid’s players from the Bernabeu… Goalkeeper & Defence Thibaut Courtois (6/10): Called on to make a couple of tidy saves in the first half. Produced a terrific one-on-one stop. Could do nothing about the goal. Federico Valverde (7/10): A much better shift at right-back after a difficult one midweek. One burst of pace stopped a certain goal in the first half. Raul Asencio (6/10): A solid 45 minutes before being replaced at the break. Dean Huijsen (6/10): Gave the ball away a couple of times. Won his headers and was good in one-on-ones, though. Eduardo Camavinga (7/10): A solid performance at left-back, offering a sharp contrast from a miserable one against Benfica. Planted a header off the post late on. Midfield Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10): Mixed. Reliable in midfield in the first half, but shakier at the back, and allowed De Frutos to sneak in front of him for Vallecano’s equaliser. Arda Guler (7/10): Crafty in the middle and in wider spaces. One or two of his deliveries should have been nodded home. Jude Bellingham (N/A): Managed 10 minutes before being forced off with a hamstring injury. Attack Franco Mastantuono (5/10): Not his best hour. Full of energy but didn’t do loads with the ball. Kylian Mbappe (6/10): Very quiet by his usual lofty standards. On the ball plenty, but remarkably ineffective when he had it. Blasted one off the bar but buried the winning penalty. Vinicius Jr (7/10): Scored an audacious goal – his first in La Liga since October. Took on his man over and over, to no avail. Subs & Manager Brahim Diaz (6/10): Twisted and turned. Crucial in the build-up to Vinicius’ goal. Should have shot once or twice when well placed. Dani Ceballos (6/10): A pretty mixed showing off the bench. Barely on the ball at first, picked up a silly booking. More involved late on. Gonzalo Garcia (5/10): Used, in effect, as a hard-working right midfielder, which seemed a bit of a waste. David Alaba (N/A): No time to make an impact. Rodrygo (N/A): No time to make an impact. Alvaro Arbeloa (5/10): Entirely bailed out by the referee after a woeful performance. Madrid were wide open on the break and ineffective in the final third. Maybe Alonso wasn’t the problem after all…