Rayo Vallecano 3-0 AEK Athens
Rayo Vallecano made a strong case for their continuity in the Conference League with a resounding win over AEK Athens at Vallecas on Thursday night. As they seek their first ever European semi-final, Rayo will head to Greece not just with a healthy advantage, but their spirit in the sky.
So rarely in football are a crowd gifted exactly what they want, but after just two minutes, Vallecas had lift off. A ball down the left side found Alvaro Garcia, and his pull back into the middle of the box found Ilias Akhomach in space that he could scarcely believe. His shot was far from clean, but it was into the corner.
Less than ten minutes into the match and it looked as if former Real Madrid man Luka Jovic, back on Spanish soil, was about to level matters after a bad giveway from Andrei Ratiu in his own third. Florian Lejeune, Rayo’s most experienced operator, got round just in time to stop his shot from reaching Augusto Batalla. The key seemed to be Ratiu – Rayo looked for him often, and if he escaped the press, they were bearing down on the Greek box. If they caught him, Rayo’s defence were scrambling backwards.
After 20 minutes, Lejeune thought he had added a second after smartly flicking an Akhomach set piece in off the post, but the party was put on ice after a VAR review deemed an offside Rayo player had interfered with the goalkeeper’s sight of it. This one did not count, but just as after the first goal, AEK snapped back into action. First Batalla produced an excellent save from a set-piece, and on the rebound, Pathe Ciss provided a goal-saving block. At this point, with 30 minutes on the clock, Inigo Perez might have wondered if too much was happening for their own good, given the goal advantage.
That much became evident when a mix up between Luiz Felipe and Pep Chavarria sent Aboubakary Koita clear of the defence, but Batalla read his touch well, and was able to smother the chance – the only damage done to Batalla’s thigh. The cat and mouse continued in the AEK half. Rayo pressed high and nearly catching the Greek side out, Alvaro Garcia whistling a shot wide of the right post after Lejeune stepped into midfield to win the ball back. The rhythm of the game dictated that AEK would then be allowed their chance, Roberto Pereyra picking the perfect cross from the left for Koita, only for Chavarria to produce a heroic block this time.
Just as the break ambled into sight at the end of a breathless half, Rayo struck again. Ciss and Isi Palazon dispossessed Pereyra, and released Jorge de Frutos on the break. With five Rayo players swarming forward, Akhomach’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper after cutting inside, but Unai Lopez was quickest on the rebound with AEK outnumbered in their own box. Having relied on impressive interventions to keep their lead, Rayo were rewarded for their aggression getting men forward.
If the first half went in waves of attacks back and forth, AEK dictated that the start of the second would be unidirectional. Rayo’s attempts to counter felt forced rather than intentional, and Perez sent on Alemao and Pedro Diaz to interrupt the flow. It almost brought immediate results, with de Frutos beating his man on the right, and Alemao ploughing the ball into the side-netting. AEK had tucked in winger Koita to form a front three, and it was keeping their normally bombastic full-backs much more honest.
AEK had whipped a free-kick wide, and Koita, the most dangerous for the Greek side, sailed another effort from outside the box just over the bar. Yet with the changes, their domination began to wane a little. Pacha Espino complemented the changes too, and when he worked a yard of space in the box, his shot was blocked by an AEK hand on the ground. After a lengthy review, captain Isi Palazon rolled the ball right, as goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha went left for a three-goal lead headed into the final 20 minutes.
The visitors were required to attack, and Rayo to maintain their lead. In the opening stages of the second period, those were the genuine frames of mind. Vallecas was ravenous for more though, and the home side were desperate to satisfy. AEK looked shellshocked by a scoreline which involved Rayo converting 50% of their shots.
Rayo seemed to have an answer for every question. Whether it be a block, a save, a pass or a run, Perez’s side played with a personality that fanned the flames of an already joyous Vallecas. Led by Isi, seven on his back, band on his arm, he set the tone for his teammates, demonstrating that with the right mind, the matter was in hand. Without dominating possession, shots or even all of the game, they imposed themselve on AEK at every opportunity. The only downside for Perez is that there is a second leg.
