Léo Baptistão earns Rayo their first win

Rayo Vallecano beat Athletic Club 2-1 in the Estadio de Vallecas, with a brace from striker Léo Baptistão, giving the team from Madrid their first win of this season.

Athletic’s flying start forced the Rayo Vallecano players to sit back and wait for an opportunity. Crosses in search of Aritz Aduriz were commonplace in the opening minutes of the match and the striker was responsible for giving his men the lead midway through the first half. It was not until six minutes before the break that the Franjirrojos, who were roused by the first goal, equalised through their Brazilian striker Baptistão.

In the second half, possession and control of the game was evenly spread, although Rayo persisted with their search for a winner. The first of two chances saw Licá fail to beat Gorka Iraizoz, then Kakuta tried his luck, but his shot was wide of its mark. The reply came from the two players who created the Basque side’s first goal. Óscar de Marcos, set up Aduriz after a great individual move, but the shot was cleared by Toño. In the dying minutes, when it looked like the spoils would be shared, the Brazilian Baptistão saved his team from another draw, scoring from the six-yard box to give them their first taste of victory this season.