Rayo Vallecano - Athletic Club

Athletic Club beat Rayo Vallecano 0-1 at Vallecas on Sunday evening thanks to a belter by Nico Serrano, The win sees the Lions climb up the table ahead of Real Madrid’s upcoming Copa del Rey visit.

The Rojiblancos were able to withstand Rayo’s late onslaught, taking a valuable three points to round off a great week for Athletic.

Marcelino made seven changes to the side that beat FC Barcelona on Thursday night, as the Lions looked to put themselves back in the mix for European qualification by picking up three points at the toughest ground in LaLiga Santander, Rayo previously undefeated at home all season. Athletic brought that run to and end by showing heart and mettle.

It was a full-on game with neither side letting up for the entire 90 minutes. Alex Berenguer fired the first warning shot, his left-footed strike narrowly missing the target in the 14th minute.

Athletic took the lead via Nico Serrano in the 29th minute. Forward Raúl García swung in a cross from the right, it was knocked into Serrano’s path by a defender, the winger controlled the ball and let it bounce before smacking a shot into the top-right corner.

With an hour left to play, Rayo made the Lions work for the three points. Álvaro García tested Unai Simón from inside the area and Iñaki Williams did the same for Luca Zidane after being set up by Raúl García.

Athletic could have killed off the game within a minute of the restart. A nice exchange down the right between Oier Zarraga and Iñigo Lekue saw the latter find Serrano in space, but the goalscorer’s effort went over the bar.

On the hour-mark Mikel Baleziaga forced Luca into an acrobatic save with a speculative half-volley from distance. Raúl García and Iñaki Williams also went close.

With time running out, Rayo mustered all their strength and threw the kitchen sink at Athletic as they sought an equaliser. The Lions’ defence showed plenty of grit to see out the storm and help Los Rojiblancos to three golden points.