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Match Review: Real Zaragoza 1-1 Rayo Vallecano. And happy birthday! (29th May, 2017)

There are two kinds of people in the world.

 If you give both a task to do in 12 hours, one of them will carefully calculate how much work needs to be done in each hour, and calmly finish it before the deadline.

 The other will binge watch half a season of their favorite TV show they haven't seen for the fourth time, and then all hell breaks loose in the last hour - a frantic, hectic, enjoyable-to-watch mess.

 Given that Roberto Trashorras was suspended - you knew that all the calm, careful calculations of the Galician were gone.

 You knew all hell was going to break loose.

 Rayo attacked loads and defended loads. Fran Beltrán and Jordi Gómez dribbled and ran with the ball, Patrick Ebert went on long mazy runs with the ball on the left. Embarba made excellent runs on the right - even hitting the post from an Ebert cross.

But Rayo were overrun in the center of the park. Time and time again, Zaragoza players waltzed past Rayo defenders. Time and time again, Manuel Lanzarote absolutely destroyed Álex Moreno. Time and time again, Alberto Zapatar, in the absence of a commanding opposition midfield, ran the show with the kind of passes Trashorras makes with ease.

As if to personify the first half, the first goal was exactly that - an effortless ball to the right by Zapater to Lanzarote, a cross into the corridor of uncertainty and Pambo, untracked, scoring from just outside the six year box.


As the second half progressed, and Baena grew - quite admirably - into the Trashorras role, Rayo were slightly more calm in attack but Zaragoza's counter attacks continued to threaten the defense.....
...especially when Ernesto Galán came off for Franco Cristaldo, which meant Rayo had a back line of three defenders.

Was the goal at the end deserved? Yes. Was the scoreline deserved? Probably not.

 But it means that Rayo are safe*. And that this turbulent season is finally over.

*All but safe, rather - 19th place Alcorcón are six points behind, and since Rayo and Alcorcón have identical head-to-head points and goal difference, Rayo are safe unless Alcorcón can make up the 15 goal difference deficit in the final two games.




Added this at the last minute, but yeah - today marks the 93rd birthday of Rayo Vallecano. 



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