A point a piece at Vallecas

Rayo off to a flyer

Things couldn't have got off to a better start from a Rayo Vallecano perspective. The Franjirrojos came out all guns blazing and looked to unsettle SD Eibar with the pace and skill of Bebe. It didn't take long for Rayo to see their bright start rewarded with a goal, but rather than Bebe, it was another of their Portuguese contingent, Ze Castro, who was on hand to head home from a corner to put his side 1-0 up on seven minutes.

Escalante, Eibar's star man

The Eibar midfielder was a constant thorn in the Rayo backline, particularly on aerial balls. The Argentine fired a warning shot when his powerful header crashed back off the crossbar, but he made no mistake second time round. With 36 minutes on the clock, Gonzalo Escalante met a cross from the left to nod past Yoel.

A whisker away

In the second period the teams contrived to cancel each other out as both sides searched for the winner which would prove to be elusive. The one clear opening to have clinched all three points fell the way of the Armeros. Ander Capa burst down the right wing and swung in a cross which the onrushing Borja Baston narrowly failed to connect with.

Both sides reduced to 10 men

The dying minutes of the game were marred by bad news for both camps. Firstly, Paco Jemez's side had to complete the game with 10 men after Ze Castro was forced to leave the field with a muscular injury. Then just several minutes later, Eibar's numerical advantage was erased after Josip Radosevic picked up his second booking of the night.

Rayo's last chance 

The hosts battled on to the end in their search for a winner. Indeed, the Madrid side upped their game in the dying minutes and had it not been for an excellent save from Asier Riesgo, the hosts would have been celebrating a last-gasp victory. The Eibar custodian was on hand to brilliantly keep out a Diego Llorente header from a last-minute corner to ensure that his side left Vallecas with a point.