Rayo Vallecano
Espanyol
Match summary
Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol 2-1. Rayo Vallecano led 2-0 at half-time.
Álvaro García put Rayo Vallecano ahead in the 3rd minute, Adrià Pedrosa made it 2-0 in the 26th minute, set up by Álvaro García, and Roberto Fernández pulled one back to make it 2-1 in the 54th minute, set up by Javi Hernández.
The chances backed that up: Rayo Vallecano created 1.83 expected goals (xG) from 16 shots to Espanyol's 1.16 from 19. Espanyol had a player sent off.
Rayo Vallecano secured a 2-1 victory against Espanyol in La Liga matchday 6, controlling possession with 55 percent of the ball and completing 449 passes compared to their opponents 348. The hosts registered 16 shots against the visitors 19, though both sides struggled for clinical accuracy with only 2 and 5 shots on target respectively. Rayo recorded an expected goals figure of 1.83 superior to Espanyol's 1.16. Territory was relatively contested as Rayo generated 89 attacks to Espanyol's 84, while the visiting side edged dangerous attacks 48 to 30 and corners 5 to 3. The match featured a high count of disciplinary sanctions, with Rayo receiving five yellow cards and Espanyol collecting one yellow and one red card, alongside 10 fouls committed by the home team and 15 by the away side.
The scoring opened swiftly when Álvaro García converted a left-footed shot for Rayo Vallecano in the third minute with an expected goals value of 0.60. Adrià Pedrosa doubled the lead in the 26th minute with a right-footed effort, taking Rayo into the interval with a 2-0 advantage after Unai López received a yellow card in added time. Espanyol responded in the second half when Roberto Fernández scored with a right-footed shot in the 54th minute. Numerous substitutions occurred across both teams as the half progressed. Late in proceedings, Rayo accumulated further yellow cards for Pathé Ciss, Gnangoro, and Alemão, before Espanyol's Omar El Hilali was shown a red card in the 90+8th minute for a professional handball.
