When the game scheduled for the 7th of February was initially called off just four hours before kick-off, Real Oviedo claimed they would be seeking all three points through bureaucratic means, feeling disadvantaged by the decision. On the pitch, they were missing some of that same miserly approach in Vallecas.
Which is not to say that Oviedo were outclassed by Rayo Vallecano. The first half slipped by almost without incident, with players slipping over. It wasn’t just the pitch that players struggled to get purchase on, with neither side really looking likely to break the deadlock in the opening period. The sinking feeling that surrounds Oviedo right now means that Los Carbayones are seem to be battling fate itself.
After conceding the winner with the last kick of the game against Atletico Madrid at the weekend, Guillermo Almada was preparing his team talk when Andrei Ratiu powered a shot from distance at Aaron Escandell. Jorge de Frutos was razor sharp where David Carmo was not though, and he nipped past him to tap the opening goal in seconds before half-time.
If Oviedo were constantly fearful of tragedy, Rayo seemed happy for the game to unfold without forcing things, convinced it would fall their way. Just five minutes into the second period, Alvaro Garcia flicked a header in behind on the left side for de Frutos to latch onto. He returned the ball to Garcia inside the box, but as he hesitated, Santiago Colombatto collided with his back in a clumsy challenge that VAR had no chance of granting clemency for. Escandell guessed correctly, but de Frutos had enough on his penalty to beat him low to the left.
That left side was the scene of all Rayo’s damage, and when they won ball high up just past the hour-mark, Pedro Diaz quickly fed Garcia to run at Lucas Ahijado. Driving into the box, Escandell was equal to his shot, but Garcia was able to squeeze the follow-up in at the near-post to all but finish the game with half an hour to go.
🗣️ ¡ESTO ES EL RAYO! ❤️🔥
— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) March 4, 2026
A looseness entered the game late on, and Perez made Ahijado suffer yet more, nearly creating a fourth with a ball across the six-yard box. Thiago Borbas was on up front for Oviedo, and he smacked one just wide with 15 minutes to go. Oviedo’s best chance of the game fell to him 10 minutes later, but Borbas fired the bouncing ball harmlessly into the arms of an underworked Augusto Batalla from the penalty spot. Alvaro Reina then saw his improvised effort at the back post cleared off the line by Florian Lejeune, pressure that came all too late.
Rayo won’t earn too much praise for their victory, but it came with a degree of comfort that Inigo Perez will believe is all too rare. His side sit 12th in the table with a much more relaxing six-point gap to the drop now. Oviedo seemed locked in a vicious circle of tiny disasters within every match. Once again, without looking much worse than their opponents they come off worse, and now the slide to Segunda is gathering pace, and looks difficult to sto – safety is nine points away.
