Late Goal Lifts Atletico Madrid to Victory Against Rayo Vallecano

Atletico Madrid secured a last-gasp victory against Rayo Vallecano in a LaLiga matchup on Wednesday. The win propelled Atletico back to third place in the standings and maintained their title chase.

Diego Simeone, Atletico’s manager, decided to rest key starters including Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, and Rodrigo de Paul ahead of their upcoming derby against Real Madrid. Despite the changes, Atletico dominated the game and took the lead in the 35th minute with a towering header from defender Stefan Savic, assisted by a free kick from Dimitar Berbatov.

Rayo Vallecano, however, quickly responded with a fine strike from the edge of the box by Vitolo, equalizing the score before the halftime whistle.

The second half saw Simeone make strategic substitutions, bringing on Griezmann, De Paul, Memphis Depay, and Saul Niguez to inject fresh energy into the team’s attack. Although Atletico created several chances, they struggled to break down Rayo’s defense.

In the 83rd minute, Depay thought he had secured the winner with a brilliant shot, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check revealed a marginal offside. However, in stoppage time, Griezmann found Depay inside the box, and the Dutch forward sealed victory for Atletico with a quick-fire shot that Rayo goalkeeper Dimitri Berbatov couldn’t keep out.

Discussing the win, Savic highlighted the challenge of playing many games in quick succession but emphasized Atletico’s determination to secure three points. The victory keeps the team in the title race, eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid.