Chavarría's meltdown caps Rayo's Bernabéu heartbreak
Rayo Vallecano defender lashes out after controversial late defeat to Real Madrid, as visitors end with nine men following dramatic stoppage time scenes.
A fuming Pep Chavarría didn’t mince his words after Rayo Vallecano’s gut-wrenching defeat at the Bernabéu, in a match that saw the visitors reduced to nine men amid late drama.
Late penalty chaos
Rayo were moments away from securing a valuable point against the league leaders when disaster struck in the 99th minute. A controversial penalty decision went against them, followed by Chavarría’s sending off in the 103rd minute after he pushed Rodrygo into the advertising boards when the ball wasn’t in play.
The incident occurred with Real Madrid 2-1 up in a match that had already seen Pathé Ciss receive his marching orders in the 80th minute for a tough challenge on Dani Ceballos. Mbappé was quick to confront Chavarría after seeing his teammate Rodrygo sprawled on the deck.
”One of my saddest days”
Chavarría didn’t hold back in his social media response after the match, expressing his profound disappointment:
“Today is one of the saddest days I’ve left a pitch,” the defender posted.
He went on to suggest there were forces working against his team: “This team deserves respect. Thanks to Rayo fans, we’ll keep fighting against everything and everyone. God is fair and sees everything. Faith.”
Manager’s frustration
Rayo boss Íñigo Pérez was equally gutted about how events unfolded, particularly regarding the extensive added time that ultimately proved fatal to his team’s chances.
“I expected additional time, but I thought our team was defending well in our area, without feeling like they could score against us,” Pérez explained, questioning the lengthy stoppage time in a match that had featured neither VAR reviews nor many goals.
What next for Rayo?
The defeat leaves Rayo looking over their shoulders in the relegation scrap, but they’ll need to quickly put this Adam and Eve behind them and focus on bouncing back in their next fixture.
With suspensions now to contend with, Pérez faces a selection headache as his squad looks to recover from what was a proper Bernabéu battering in the cruelest of circumstances.