Latest news with #RayoVallecano
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Rayo Vallecano celebrate banner night: ‘25 years later, Europe sees us again'
Rayo Vallecano's fans rolled out the banner at 10.46pm on the last Saturday of the season and rolled it away again a minute later. There had been a sneak glimpse of the message they hoped to stretch across the one end of a ground that is actually an end and not just a wall at risk of falling down, but it wasn't quite time for the big reveal. For now all they wanted was to pull 40 metres of fabric into place, huge white letters proudly painted on a red background, ready for when, if, it actually was. They certainly didn't intend to tempt fate; it wasn't done yet, history still not made and, God knows, if there is a place where anything can go wrong, where football and life isn't always kind but is always lived, it is here. There was though a brief look before the banner was hidden again behind the back row – something about years, Europe and us – and they were close now. There were 10 minutes plus added time left and the side from the Independent People's Republic of Vallekas, the last of the neighbourhood teams, not just in the barrio but of the barrio, were on the verge of qualifying for the Conference League. All they had to do was beat Real Mallorca and it turned out they wouldn't even have to do that: they had taken 28 shots without scoring but it still didn't matter because up in Vitoria, the team that could take the place from them hadn't scored either, Osasuna losing 1-0 to Alavés. Or so they thought until, with two minutes to go and Rayo having had time and a two-goal cushion on their side, Osasuna equalised. A final day that hadn't had much drama until then, Rayo briefly in a Europa League place and never out of a Conference League position, suddenly had some, fate now being decided on some far away field, everything on hold, no control over their own destiny. The final whistle went in Vallecas at 10.59pm with the score 0-0; 352km away, though, Osasuna and Alavés were still playing and Rayo knew a goal up there and it would be over. Osasuna would be going to Europe in their place, the impossible dream exactly that. Some Rayo players slipped to the floor exhausted, just sitting there, unable to do anything more now: their 38 games were gone, the final minutes of someone else's would decide what they had been worth. Pacha Espino held up a finger on each hand: 1-1. A huddle gathered around Dani Cardenas who had the game on his phone and was tapping at the screen to get it to move. In the stands, supporters desperately tried to get their mobiles to work; the more of them tried, the fewer of them succeeded. Some, the sensible ones, had old-school transistor radios on the go. Down on the pitch, Rayo's coach Iñigo Pérez sought refuge in club captain Óscar Trejo. 'That was my selfishness: he gives me a feeling of security,' Pérez said later. 'We knew Osasuna had equalised. In that moment, you start to think of that classic footballing scenario where the team that does everything, that creates chances, that pushes, that has to win doesn't. In those seconds your heart sinks, imagining that the blow is on its way.' Thirty seconds passed, 60, then 90, ever more convinced the cruelty was coming. Until two minutes later the final whistle at last went on Alavés-Osasuna, the huddle broke, fists in the air, and Vallecas exploded, Pérez and Trejo skipping off arms around each other, running in delirious circles. 'I'll probably look back on the footage and feel embarrassed, but I enjoyed it,' Pérez said; they all did. They were only 15 seconds into the invasion when goalkeeper Augusto Batalla had given his shorts away. Fans did knee slides, or just lay on the grass. They cut themselves chunks of turf, burnt off bits of the net to keep and swung from the crossbar. They held their players, hugged and cried. Kids went up on shoulders, twirling scarfs. 'They deserve this, we all do,' Trejo said. 'This is a club made to suffer, where happiness is rare; on days like this you would pay to be a footballer.' Someone tried to heave Isi Palazón on his back and ended in a heap; others had better luck. At 11.02pm, from the back of the stands, the banner was raised, a proper look this time: '25 years later, Europe sees us again.' It's more than a quarter of a century, which is why when the chant went round declaring 'Vallecas entera se va de borrachera' – the whole of Vallecas is going on the piss – no one could blame them. Rayo have only ever played in Europe once before, in the 2001 Uefa Cup, when they reached the quarter-finals having been handed a place thanks to the fair play table. The only time they had actually qualified, they were banned from taking the place because the club was in administration. Yes, they had looked like they might get close under Andoni Iraola. But now, the man who was supposed to be his assistant at Bournemouth, yet who the UK home office said could not make a contribution to English football, had led Rayo there for the first time ever. It is a monumental achievement, made all the better, worth celebrating, by how monumentally out of place it all feels, way beyond the fact that no team in the first division has a lower income. So out of place in fact that you genuinely wonder if they will be allowed to play European football at their place. 'I don't need to run through the difficulties we have here,' Pérez said. 'All you have to do is take a little walk around to see it.' A walk around the stadium where there's no stand at one end, the pitch instead overlooked by flats – a Fede Valverde shot literally flew into someone's living room – and where concrete crumbles, pipes are rusty, and water comes in through the roof. Where 'water' flows across toilet floors but not out of the taps. Rayo have never won anything, or even played a final. Three weeks ago, thieves broke in and took everything. Police are looking for a man with a carpet, etc and so on. Actually, thieves really did break in and police are looking for a man with 60 pairs of boots. The players refused to train in protest because it was the third time it has happened. Staff have to pay for much of their own material and gym equipment has been chewed on by pests. This is the only club with no online ticket sales and they're not very good at telling anyone when the actual ticket offices will open, either. In the buildup to this game, hundreds of fans queued overnight, sleeping in the street, just in case they opened the next day. They didn't. There may be no owner – no man at all – more despised by fans than Rayo's. 'Sometimes you think: 'Bloody hell, how are we where we are with what we have?'' left winger Álvaro García said, and that was before they had got here, to Europe. 'Rayo don't have the normal things that other grounds and other clubs have.' As one visiting manager put it on his way outone day, this is a place that needs 'disinfecting'. And yet this, that same manager says, is special, real, the connection authentic, different, like something from another time. At the end of Saturday's win, Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif said he had never experienced anything like it: 'Incredible: it is the dream of any player to have fans like this.' Real Betis 1-1 Valencia, Real Madrid 2-0 Real Sociedad, Leganés 3-0 Real Valladolid, Espanyol 2-0 Las Palmas, Alavés 1-1 Osasuna, Getafe 1-2 Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Mallorca, Girona 0-4 Atlético Madrid, Villarreal 4-2 Sevilla, Athletic Club 0-2 Barcelona There is something about Vallecas, Madrid's self-consciously working class, left-wing neighbourhood, and the team that represents it. When new players arrive, supporters take them around and show them. There is always a risk of romanticising poverty, justifying failures as character and fans really would like some basic amenities. Players would too. Yet at Rayo in the place of the resources and facilities many clubs take as standard, goes pride and identity, a different feel about the dressing room, the whole place, something that brings it all back to the start, some of the trappings and traps of professionalism stripped away. Something that makes a European qualification feel so special, matter so much; something, perhaps, that makes it possible in the first place, changing mindsets and attitudes. 'We're a poor club, a humble one,' Pérez said. 'But that first day, the players laid aside their shirts with their names and numbers on and left themselves entirely naked, giving absolutely everything they have. In professional football where everyone has a name, where they are in a good position economically, it's very hard to achieve that. And yet there has not been a single day when they have not done so. Those weaknesses we have bring many strengths.' The biggest party they had ever seen was earned the hard way, everyone forced to wait just a little longer before they could say it: Rayo Vallecano – Rayo Vallecano! – were on their way into Europe. First though they were on their way round the neighbourhood, a big, blue, suitably battered looking bus making its way down Avenida Albufera to collect the them. 'That's the first I had heard of it, but I will follow,' Pérez said. 'After the game I hugged Batalla. He was crying. And he said: 'Mister, tonight you will come out, tonight you will celebrate', because he knows I never do. I said: well, tomorrow I've got to think about the Conference League. But today, I'm enjoying this. I promise you. My granddad used to say to me effort equals reward. That's not always true, but I'm happy that tonight it is.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
🇪🇺 Next stop Europe: Celta and Rayo secure European spots
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. Vallecas and Vigo won't be sleeping tonight. And it's no wonder. Celta de Vigo and Rayo Vallecano have confirmed their tickets to the Europa League, in the case of the olívicos, and to the Conference League, in the case of the vallecanos, after reaping respective draws against Getafe and Mallorca. The biggest prize of the night goes to Celta in a match where the club's icon appeared. A goal from Iago Aspas Juncal unleashed madness among the more than 3,000 Celta fans who traveled to Getafe. The Prince appeared to certify the olívicos' ticket to the Europa League and their return to a European competition eight years later. Advertisement More tension was experienced at the Estadio de Vallecas. In a complicated match between Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca, the eyes were on Vitoria at the end... The goal by Osasuna in the final minutes of their match against Alavés increased the nerves of the franjirroja fans. Although in the end, it was just a scare. 25 years later, Rayo Vallecano will play European competition again. It will be the Conference League. The memory of those glorious nights against Girondins de Burdeos can accompany new memories that the vallecanos will record next season. 📸 Aitor Alcalde - 2025 Getty Images
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cyle Larin vs. Rayo Vallecano – Player props & odds to score a goal on May 24
Cyle Larin vs. Rayo Vallecano – Player props & odds to score a goal on May 24 [gambcom-standard rankid="4130" ] Will Cyle Larin find the back of the net when RCD Mallorca takes on Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, May 24 at 3:00 PM ET? For updated stats and anytime goalscorer odds, continue reading. Mallorca took on Getafe CF at home in its last match and fell short by a final score of 2-1. The Mallorca side took eight shots in the loss, equal to the victorious Getafe CF side's total. Keep up with LaLiga action this season on Fubo! Cyle Larin's Odds to Score a Goal vs. Rayo Vallecano Odds to score a goal next game: +340 Soccer player prop odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 12:40 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. [gambcom-standard rankid="4142" ] Cyle Larin's 2024-25 Stats This season, he has found the back of the net in six matches (out of 35 played). In terms of expected goals, Larin (1.2 xG) is 5.8 lower than his actual goal total (seven). When it comes to assists, he has recorded at least one in two matches (out of 35 played) this season. From the penalty spot, Larin has scored one goal on one attempt. Thus far in the 2024-25 season, he is averaging 1.0 shot per match, having taken 34 in total (16 on target). RCD Mallorca vs. Rayo Vallecano Scoring Insights Offensively, Mallorca is 17th in LaLiga (35 goals, 0.9 per match). And defensively, Rayo Vallecano is eighth (45 goals conceded, 1.2 per match). In LaLiga, Rayo Vallecano has put up 41 goals in 37 matches (11th in league), and Mallorca has given up 44 in 37 games (sixth). With 35 goals scored and 44 allowed, Mallorca is 11th in LaLiga in goal differential. With 41 goals scored and 45 conceded, Rayo Vallecano is eighth in LaLiga in goal differential. RCD Mallorca vs. Rayo Vallecano Match Info Matchup: Mallorca at Rayo Vallecano Mallorca at Rayo Vallecano Time: 3:00 PM ET 3:00 PM ET Date: May 24, 2025 May 24, 2025 Venue: Estadio de Vallecas Estadio de Vallecas Live stream: Watch this game on ESPN+ Watch RCD Mallorca vs. Rayo Vallecano on ESPN+ More Player Props: [gambcom-standard rankid="4338" ]
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Football is not complicated': Andoni Iraola on Bournemouth, birdsong and playing better
At Bournemouth's uber-cool Canford Magna training base, a 57-acre site on a former golf course, Andoni Iraola is surrounded by bells and whistles. There is a hydrotherapy pool and an altitude chamber. 'For me, those are like the extras,' says a manager used to getting his hands dirty from his days at AEK Larnaca and Mirandés. 'I come from clubs where everybody has to do their job – and something else. I've needed to cut videos, make things, set up; we didn't have goals with wheels so four of us would move them.' At Rayo Vallecano, even after promotion to La Liga, he explains how they happily made do with 'training on one pitch and a third'. He talks about returning to Bournemouth in the early hours after away matches. 'I still love that sometimes, in the morning after a game, everyone helps so we can put everything away quicker, in the medical room, in the kit room, so everyone goes home quicker,' Iraola says. 'I think they are things we shouldn't lose sight of even if we are in the Premier League. I think it is something cultural and if you have this in the club, you build an extra togetherness which is always good.' Bournemouth knew what they were getting in Iraola – an affable, modest and intelligent coach – but that did not prevent a few double-takes during his first weeks, when he was pulling goals into place and putting out the cones for every session. A manager used to working with one analyst suddenly had five to lean on. And now he has four full-size pitches to flip between. 'I always like to set up. Even now we normally go out 90 minutes before training because I want to see life and I have my own measurements. I always want to check everything is in place before we start.' Iraola finds joy in the simple things. At the same time, in a room inside Bournemouth's silver C-shaped training pavilion, he acknowledges small details can make a big difference, raising the subject of sprinklers. 'Now we can rotate pitches, we can coordinate it with the groundsman so we go straight on them after they have been watered. Football is not complicated. You just need a good pitch … to have the grass always perfect is what I like the most. The building is amazing but I really like where we are placed … the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees; you don't hear any noise, just the birds singing.' Iraola makes engaging company whether discussing praise from Pep Guardiola or the three weeks he spent travelling on the Shinkansen network in Japan. 'Different cities, the high-speed bullet trains, lovely system.' Iraola, who except for his final season in New York spent his entire playing career in the Basque Country, loves to travel. He has ticked off Alaska and Africa but wants to go to Australia and explore South America. Last summer he and his family visited Iceland. 'The lagoons, the glaciers, the geysers, watching the puffins. It was a really nice place. In my playing years, when I got to February and March, all of my afternoons I was thinking about the holidays and how to make it work, different countries.' These days grand plans are trickier owing to the parameters of pre-season and his children's school holidays. Then again, the 42-year-old does not see himself in coaching for the long haul. 'I'm very thankful because my family has been following me for the last, I don't know, lots of years. But you cannot ask them to live like this for ever. There is a moment when I would like to put myself second and to think for my kids and the things they need. At this moment,' he says, as a smile unravels, 'it still hasn't arrived, so now I'm going to enjoy the years ahead of me.' That is good news for Bournemouth, for whom this has been a record-breaking season, even if they do not have what Iraola calls a 'tangible reward' in qualifying for Europe. A 3-0 defeat at Manchester City on Tuesday and a run of two wins in 12 league games put paid to those hopes. 'You see a lot of stats and we're with the best teams in the competition in a lot of different areas,' Iraola says. To which statistics is he referring? Until Tuesday only Arsenal and Liverpool had conceded fewer goals. Chances created and time spent in the opposition half are other indicators. Iraola, whose blueprint is built on athleticism, particularly values the physical data. 'The high-speed running, the sprint speeds … not total distance covered because there are teams that do not run a lot and get very good results because they have another way of playing. If our players produce our physical numbers they give us a good chance to carry out the gameplan. It is about trying to live the game, don't switch off for one second because they're [the opponent] waiting for you.' Twelve months ago, after a visit from the American owner Bill Foley, Iraola signed a contract extension until the end of the 2025-26 season and while Foley visited in April to announce he has acquired the Vitality Stadium and formally open their new £35m training ground – cutting the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors – a repeat of that scenario is not on the horizon. 'I don't think we will rush anything,' he says. 'I understand that it is difficult because you have to make plans as a club but I think my relationship with the club is really good. I speak every day with Simon [Francis, the technical director], Tiago [Pinto, the president of football operations]. They know where we are and we will find the best moment during next season to make this decision, I'm sure. 'Also we are talking about a possible fourth or fifth season and you have to see how you feel with the group of players. Sometimes there is a moment after some seasons where you feel,' he says, puffing his cheeks, 'maybe the message does not go the same way to the players in the same way. Normally managers like to feel these things and make decisions according to the moment.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The 80-year-old Foley, like the fan base, is enthused with Iraola's work. 'He's happy with how the club is evolving. He asks a lot about how the players are doing, how we can improve for next season and I think he is learning a lot from this game. He is not a football guy but in these two years now the conversations we have are much more football-orientated. He follows the team, watches the games and normally afterwards we exchange a message or something. We keep them short, to the basics. Myself and Bill are not guys who write 20 lines in a message.' All parties recognise competition will be fiercer next season. 'For me the risk is to take things for granted. The three teams above the relegation spots are [Manchester] United, Spurs and West Ham, huge teams with very good players. So if you drop a little bit your performance level, any one of us could be there. It is a warning: you have to play very close to your best. We cannot change the opposition so we have to raise our levels and be even better next season.' Until this week, Tuesday afternoons, long after training has finished, have been boxed off for staff matches, with Iraola's assistants, Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper, and Francis, another former defender, preparing to represent the club at a seven-a-side tournament in North Carolina next month. A fortnight ago they took on Bournemouth's Under-18s, whose assistant manager is former winger Junior Stanislas. 'We beat them but I injured my hamstring,' Iraola says. 'If they need a player I can survive as a No 6, but one that does not move.' Was he a defender by trade? 'I wasn't a proper defender – I was 0% aggressive.' Perhaps the biggest compliment for Bournemouth came courtesy of Guardiola, when he listed Iraola's side among those to epitomise the modern game. 'I think the way Man City play is still the one [style] the top teams are using,' Iraola says. 'If you see PSG, Barcelona – maybe Inter are different – they really value possession, they want to suffocate you and they do it very well. There are different ways of playing to be successful … [Nottingham] Forest, Crystal Palace, other styles, it is good for the league.' Bournemouth, too, have had a season to remember.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three players Xabi Alonso wants out as he plans Real Madrid overhaul
Three players Xabi Alonso wants out as he plans Real Madrid overhaul – report According to a recent update from Fichajes, Xabi Alonso has wasted no time making his mark at Real Madrid, despite not yet being officially unveiled as the club's new manager. In a bold and proactive move, Alonso has already identified three players who will not be part of his plans, setting the tone for what promises to be a significant squad overhaul at Valdebebas this summer. Advertisement The first confirmed departure is Ferland Mendy. Although the French left-back is under contract until 2028, tensions between the player and the club have reached a breaking point. Mendy is reportedly unwilling to accept a contract extension on reduced terms, while Real Madrid are not prepared to meet his financial demands. With no compromise in sight, his exit is now considered inevitable. This decision marks the end of a mixed tenure in Madrid, where Mendy showed flashes of brilliance but struggled with injuries and inconsistency. Then there are Garcia and Vallejo Ferland Mendy will have no place under Xabi Alonso. (Photo by) Next on the discard list is Fran Garcia, whose return from Rayo Vallecano has not gone as planned. The young full-back has failed to convince either the fans or the coaching staff with his performances. Advertisement Rather than securing the backup left-back spot, his erratic displays have led to doubts about his suitability at the highest level. Alonso appears to have seen enough, and Garcia will now likely be moved on as part of the reshuffle. The third confirmed name is Jesus Vallejo. Once considered a promising centre-back, Vallejo has failed to find a foothold in the squad across multiple managerial regimes. With no serious role under previous managers and no sign of revival, Vallejo's time at Real Madrid will finally come to an end. The club sees no reason to persist with a player who has long fallen down the pecking order. However, Alonso's revamp won't stop there. Several other players are under close evaluation, with their futures hanging in the balance. These include Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez, and quite possibly Dani Ceballos. Rather than rushing decisions, Alonso has opted to assess these players in person during preseason, giving them a chance to demonstrate whether they can fit into his tactical system.
