It looks like their hard-fought point at Barca wasn’t a fluke! Rayo Vallecano continued their impressive start to the new La Liga campaign with a solid display and a great 2-0 win over Espanyol on Friday night.Goals from Isi Palazon and Pathe Ciss in each half gave Rayo the win at RCDE Stadium that makes their unbeaten run against Catalan clubs extend to six matches!
The hosts started the match brightly, attacked and were looking well-positioned to win when visiting defender Florian Lejeune earned himself two bookings in the space of just two minutes. He had to go to an early shower within 20 minutes from the first whistle. Ironically, Lejeune received his marching orders after elbowing former Newcastle United teammate Joselu, now at Espanyol.However, the numerical parity was soon restored. After a video review, Sergi Gomez was sent off for a nasty elbow on Sergio Camello. That opened the door for Rayo to pounce, and Isi Palazon produced a moment of brilliance five minutes before the break, placing an unstoppable left-footed bouncy effort into the low corner.
Losers in only four of their home matches last season, Espanyol should have drawn level shortly after the break, but Joselu could only direct his header agonisingly wide. Then, with only eight minutes gone in the second half after his miss, the hosts were left to rue their missed opportunity to draw level when Pathe Ciss finished easily from an Alvaro Garcia’s squared pass to double the lead and seal the point for his team.These guys love a trip to Barcelona!LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 2FridayEspanyol – Rayo Vallecano 0-2 (0-1)/Palazon 40, Ciss 59/Sevilla – ValladolidSaturday18.30: (2.00) Osasuna (3.40) Cadiz (4.30)20.30: (3.15) Mallorca (3.20) Betis (2.50)23.00: (5.50) Celta (3.90) Real Madrid (1.70)Sunday 18.30: (1.80) Ath.Bilbao (3.60) Valencia (5.20)20.30: (1.90) Atl.Madrid (3.45) Villareal (4.20)23.00: (3.60) Sociedad (3.50) Barcelona (2.15)***odds are subject to change