Bale helps Real Madrid escape danger 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 due to 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 could 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 shock win at Rayo saw them top La Liga with 81 points for a brief period. They then slipped back to third place, a few points behind, as Barca and Atletico both won their late games. Still, the fact that they were top, even for a short while, was a welcome boost for Real after a long period behind their two arch-rivals.

The absence of Ronaldo may have had a more negative impact 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 had a dream start in front of goalkeeper Navas. Just seven minutes into the match, Bebe dribbled past both Danilo and Pepe before crossing to Embarba, who easily opened the scoring from six yards out. 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 only needed seven more minutes to force the opposition's defense into a mistake, before Miku volleyed close-range to beat Navas.

With luck and a calmer finish, Rayo could have even led 3-0 in the first 25 minutes. After 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 face-off with the home striker, then he jumped to block the ball 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 game off to recover from an injury, the world's best player returned and affirmed his worth 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 typical English header: jumping up to head diagonally between a series of defenders and the opposing goalkeeper.

Rayo's loss of a two-goal lead was entirely due to the attack-defence scenario. While Ronaldo was not on the field, the home team's defense still showed that they were 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 is only 1.73 m tall - Lucas Vazquez.

The game was tied 2-2 when the match entered the 52nd minute, Rayo's spirit quickly lost. 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 attack-defend scenario. This time, defender Tito passed the ball back inaccurately, 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 fortunate enough to defend the score, especially in the 92nd minute. This was a situation where a free-footed home player shot from 16 meters, but the ball hit a Real defender and went just over the bar.

Losing to Real, Rayo stayed 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