Kylian Mbappe scored a dramatic 100th-minute penalty to seal a hard-fought 2-1 victory for Real Madrid over nine-man Rayo Vallecano in a tense La Liga derby on Sunday.
The win cut Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table to one point after the champions beat Elche on Saturday.
Vinícius Júnior had given Madrid an early lead after Jude Bellingham was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury.
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Jorge de Frutos levelled for Rayo early in the second half as frustration grew among the home supporters at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Rayo’s resistance weakened after Pathe Ciss was sent off, and the visitors were reduced to nine men late on when Pep Chavarría also saw red.
Deep into stoppage time, Mbappé kept his nerve from the spot to score his 22nd La Liga goal of the season and secure all three points for Los Blancos.
“It was a victory with a lot of heart and soul,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa told Real Madrid TV. “The Bernabéu pushed us on against a team that always causes us problems.”
The atmosphere was tense following Madrid’s midweek defeat at Benfica, which dropped them into the Champions League play-off round. Despite appeals from Arbeloa and Mbappé for patience, sections of the crowd again whistled at the players, both during the match and at half-time.
Madrid endured an early scare when former Barcelona winger Ilias Akhomach fired narrowly wide before Bellingham’s injury disrupted their rhythm.
Vinícius broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with a sharp finish inside the area, and Arda Güler later went close to extending the lead.
In the end, the French forward had the final say from the penalty spot, rescuing Madrid in a dramatic derby finish.
