Bale helps Real Madrid escape on Ronaldo's absent day

Coach Zidane and his team had a comeback, winning 3-2 after being two goals behind to Rayo Vallecano.

Bale became Real's hero while Ronaldo had to rest and recover from injury. Photo: Reuters

Goals: Embarba 7', Miku 14' - Bale 35', 81', Vazquez 52'

Without Ronaldo for the first time since the beginning of the season, Real almost suffered a defeat in round 35 of La Liga. Playing brilliantly in the first 14 minutes, the home team scored two goals against goalkeeper Keylor Navas. If it weren't for Gareth Bale's excellent performance, Real might have gone home empty-handed. The world's most expensive player not only replaced Ronaldo to lead the attack but also directly scored two goals to bring a 3-2 comeback victory. Real's remaining goal was scored by Lucas Vazquez, a player who has a knack for scoring after coming off the bench.

Real Madrid's narrow victory at Rayo saw them top La Liga with 81 points for a brief period. They then fell back to third place, with a few points less, as they had been, as Barca and Atletico both won their last two games. Still, the fact that they were top, even if only for a short while, was a welcome boost for Real after a long period of being behind their two arch-rivals.

Ronaldo's absence may have had a more damaging effect than Zidane had anticipated. Not only did his absence weaken the attack, it also deprived his teammates of a moral leader. Taking advantage of Real's poor rhythm, Rayo made a dream start in front of Navas' goal. Just seven minutes into the match, Bebe dribbled past both Danilo and Pepe before crossing to Embarba, who finished with ease from just six metres. Before Real could regain their composure, the home team poured a second bucket of cold water on them. This time the red and white players needed just seven more minutes to force a mistake from the opposition's defence, before Miku volleyed past Navas from close range.

With luck and a calmer finish, Rayo could have even led 3-0 in the first 25 minutes. After conceding two unstoppable goals, goalkeeper Navas restored his role as a reliable shield for his teammates with two important saves. First, he decided to come out in time to clear a one-on-one with the home striker, then he jumped to push the ball away after Bebe's dangerous curling shot. If he had conceded either of these situations, Real would have been certain to lose.

Without Ronaldo to rely on, Real were still lucky because Bale returned at the right time. After a one-match injury break, the world's best player returned and affirmed his worthy value with his stirring moves on the right wing. In addition to his breakthroughs and left-footed finishes that caused headaches for Rayo's defense, Bale also contributed a double goal with two of his signature goals. The first goal came from a header typical of English football: jumping up to head diagonally between a series of defenders and the opposing goalkeeper.

Rayo lost their two-goal lead entirely due to the attack-defence scenario. While Ronaldo did not enter the field, the home team's defense still proved to be too inexperienced against Bale and his teammates. Rayo's second goal also came from an aerial battle, even more surprising than the first because the one who scored this time was a player who was only 1.73 m tall - Lucas Vazquez.

The game was tied 2-2 when the match had just entered the 52nd minute, and Rayo's spirit quickly fell. Seizing the opportunity, Real continuously attacked and almost scored a third goal many times. The home team could only persevere until the 81st minute before collapsing, following the same pattern of attack and defense. This time, defender Tito's pass back was inaccurate, allowing Bale to steal the ball and score the decisive goal. The world's most expensive player only needed two touches of the ball to face goalkeeper Juan Carlos, before unleashing a cross-angle shot to complete the comeback.

Rayo's late attempts to attack were too little too late. After a successful comeback, Real were lucky enough to defend the score, especially in the 92nd minute. This was a situation where a home player had a free shot from 16m, but the ball hit a Real defender and went just over the bar.

Losing to Real, Rayo is stuck in 16th place with 35 points. This team is only three points above the relegation zone and has played one more game.

According to VNE