MADRID, Nov 6: Jude Bellingham could not come through this time and Real Madrid was held by Rayo Vallecano in their Madrid derby on Sunday to drop to second place in the Spanish league.
The 0-0 draw ended Madrid’s perfect record at home and kept it from joining Girona at the top of the standings after 12 rounds.
Girona had moved three points clear with a 4-2 win at Osasuna on Saturday. Madrid would have taken the lead on goal difference by beating Rayo.
Madrid controlled most of the match but could not capitalize on its scoring opportunities, with both Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior unable to break through the Rayo defense. Vinícius had a goal disallowed for offside in the 66th.
Bellingham had a few good chances but wasn’t able to find the target. Madrid had won 11 straight against Rayo at home in the league. The Madrid clubs had not drawn in their last 21 league matches, with 19 wins for Madrid and only two for Rayo.
The result extended Rayo’s unbeaten run in the league to an unprecedented eight games, with two wins and six draws. The club from southern Madrid had no attempts on target throughout the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
It was the sixth clean sheet for Madrid in the league this season. Its only loss was at Atletico Madrid in the other city derby.
Barcelona, which won 1-0 at Real Sociedad on Saturday, remained in third place, two points behind Madrid. Rayo was ninth. (AP)
