Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Barcelona Player Ratings: Fran Perez's Stunner Helps Impressive Rayo Hold Barcelona at Home

Rayo Vallecano played an impressive game of football to share points with Barcelona after an entertaining 1-1 draw. Barcelona won a soft penalty midway through the first half, controversially via Lamine Yamal. He converted it with aplomb to give them a lead before the break. Rayo then got a deserved equaliser through Fran Perez, who volleyed home from a corner in the second half. This prompted a late siege as they had the Catalans on the ropes. Barcelona were happy to walk away with a point from a hostile away ground.

Rayo Vallecano, who sealed their European qualification midweek, entered the game with high spirits. The Madrid side pressed Barcelona high and should've taken the lead through Andrei Ratiu, who was excellently foiled by Joan Garcia from six yards out. However, a simple coming together between Pep Chavarria and Yamal resulted in a soft penalty for the visitors. As things simmered over, the VAR wasn't available to check the call, and Yamal feasted on it to open the scoring against the run of play. Isi Palazon and Jorge De Frutos came the closest to equalising but couldn't get any before the break.

The hosts put more pressure in the second half, and it counted as Barcelona failed to deal with wave after wave of attack. Substitute Perez, with barely a couple of touches under his belt, blasted a corner kick home after being unmarked in the six-yard box to set up a nervous final quarter. The hosts should've won it for all their attacking intent in the final quarter, but the defending champions held out for a point. An offside goal spared their blushes as they dropped points for the first time this campaign.

Here are the Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Player Ratings.

Rayo Vallecano Player Ratings

Here are the Rayo Vallecano Player Ratings from the Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Player Ratings.

Goalkeeper

Augusto Batalla-7/10

Was called into the action very early by Yamal and stood the test well. He went the wrong way as Yamal opened the scoring.

Defenders

Andrei Ratiu-7/10

Had a golden chance to open the scoring from inside the six-yard box, but it was inexplicably saved by Garcia. He did well to keep Raphinha away from the goal.

Florian Lejeune-6.5/10

The defender laid down a marker and defended his box with authority. He was beaten on some iccasions but never gave up the fight.

Luiz Felipe-7/10

He had a free header off target in the first half and would've scored it 9/10 times except for today. Building match fitness in a new league, as he was replaced after the 70th minute, after putting in a great defensive shift.

Pep Chavarria-7/10

His battle with Yamal was fascinating as a simple contact resulted in a penalty that could have probably been overturned with VAR. Came out on top with Yamal multiple times and flew forward with the ball.

Midfielders

Pathe Ciss-7/10

Screened the defence excellently as he impressed with his positioning and reading of the game to cut key passes and emerge safely with the ball.

Unai Lopez-5/10

He was a pedestrian for most part of the hour he played as he was shown a yellow card for dissent after the penalty was given. Not at his fluent best in either attack or defence.

Forwards

Isi Palazon-8/10

Threatened the opposition endlessly with runs in behind and drifting inside. His linkup with de Frutos was simply dazzling. His corner became the assist for Perez's equaliser.

Pedro Diaz-6/10

The number 10 has plenty of chances to pick up dangerous positions, but his final delivery lacked the quality as he failed to match his teammates' frequency.

Alvaro Garcia-7/10

Made lovely runs down the left wing, and his pullback for Ratiu should've been the first goal of the game. Caused Kounde absolute nightmares with his direct running.

Jorge De Frutos-7/10

The striker brought his best self to disrupt the opposition backline severely. He burst past them and was unlucky not to get a goal for himself. He brought in other forwards with elite link-up play.

Substitutes

Fran Perez-6/10

Thundered home a volley after being unmarked in the box. Marked his first goal for Rayo Vallecano and his first goal in all competitions after the 2023/24 season.

Oscar Valentin-6/10

Sergio Camello-6/10

Alfonso Espino-6/10

Gerard Gumbau-6/10

Manager

Inigo Perez-8/10

Set his side up fearlessly and knew they could hurt the opposition with their attack instead of trying to sit back. His first substitution off the bench got him a reward, and they were unlucky not to get all three points.

Barcelona Player Ratings

Here are the Barcelona Player Ratings from the Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Player Ratings.

Goalkeeper

Joan Garcia-8/10

Pulled off a top-class save 1v1 against Ratiu to keep it 0-0. He was in top form throughout the game to make key saves. However, he was helpless when Perez scored past him.

Defenders

Jules Kounde-6.5/10

Made some good runs into the box to link up with Yamal, but the final ball let him down. Defensively, Garcia has given him a tough time.

Eric Garcia-7/10

Controlled and calmed the game for his side by being a volume passer at the back. Made massive contributions inside the box to keep the opposition at bay.

Andreas Christensen-6.5/10

Threw himself on the line a couple of times to block the opposition and was relieved to learn that a rebound from his block was ruled out for offside at the opposition scored.

Alejandro Balde-6.5/10

His pace and energy caused Rayo problems at the back, but it was something they couldn't deal with. Failed to live with Palazon constantly taking him on.

Midfielders

Pedri-7/10

The usual pass master enjoyed a fine game, but it was too chaotic for his own liking to create meaningful chances for his side.

Frenkie De Jong-7.5/10

The Dutch maestro was needed in defence a lot more than expected, as the opposition came out to play with intent. Showed off his elegance with the ball as well.

Forwards

Lamine Yamal-8.5/10

Won a penalty and scored it himself to add another dimension to his play. Had an entertaining battle with Chavarria and often came out second best. Tried to create the winner, but he was overworked.

Daniel Olmo-6/10

Could've easily had a brace for himself as he sidefooted an effort wide and failed to hold his composure in the box when he had all the time in the world in the first half.

Raphinha-6/10

Had a decent chance in the first half, but he chose to go for goal himself instead of play Ferran, who was in a much better position in. The finer decisions didn't pay off as he had a quiet evening.

Ferran Torres-6.5/10

The Spaniard made plenty of runs, but they were ignored by his teammates. On one occasion, he didn't want the ball, he was still played in as he stretched all the way, but failed to connect with it to score for sure.

Substitutes

Robert Lewandowski-6/10

Gerard Martin-6/10

Fermin Lopez-6/10

Marcus Rashford-6/10

Manager

Hansi Flick-6/10

Will be concerned by his side's over-reliance on Lamine Yamal, as the other forwards truly struggled to create something tangible. The set-piece defending was less than ideal as they left a man free inside the six-yard box.

SportsDunia's Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal