Ronaldo and James do for a resilient Rayo

Real Madrid visited Rayo in matchday 30 of Liga BBVA and came away with a hard fought 0-2 victory thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodríguez in the second half. The visitors continue in second place; four points behind Barcelona, while the home side remain ninth.

It was Real Madrid who had the game’s first chance, with a Cristiano Ronaldo volley skimming the post. However, Rayo were not to be intimidated, and they put their illustrious opponents under pressure in the first half, creating a number of chances. Their clearest chance came via Alberto Bueno, who saw a left footed effort from distance narrowly tipped wide by Iker Casillas. Before half time, Adrián Embarba also worked the Madrid keeper with a header.

After the break, Real Madrid looked a different side, and they started to work their way towards David Cobeño’s goal. Marcelo Viera, Gareth Bale and James all tried their luck, however it was Cristiano Ronaldo who opened the scoring and broke the Rayo resistance following a piece of skill from Dani Carvajal. When leading 0-1 Carlo Anceotti’s side took the initiative, and they finished the game shortly after through a James effort. Despite the fact Paco Jémez’s side had a few chances, they were unable to get back into the game.