Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Lech Poznan
Rayo Vallecano hosted Lech Poznan at Vallecas knowing that a win would put them in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Conference League.
A fierce Poznan support was in town, which unfortunate consequences the previous evening, making for a vociferous atmosphere. That was helped by a frantic start to the match, with Rayo having two shots from distance in the opening four minutes that flashed narrowly wide. It was with their first real foray forward that Lech struck though, with a ball from the right side finding an unmarked Luis Palma in the box. The Honduran’s header would have looked good had he shaped it with his foot into the far corner back across goal.
The home side rallied and began to cage Lech in, but the Polish team seemed at peace with that, boxing off the middle of the pitch with XI men in their own third at times. Rayo seemed to have a stready string of half-chances and nearly crosses, but couldn’t quite find the decisive touch. If there was one area that Lech made headway though, it was down an empty right flank, where Joel Pereira crossed for Antoni Kozubal to first-time finish into the left corner from the top of the box, capping a lovely move five minutes before half-time.
Rayo onslaught successful with buzzer-beater
The second half started off in similar fashion, but a quadruple substitution from Inigo Perez not only changed the feel of the match, but also paid dividends. Bartosz Mrozek made an outstanding save from Alvaro Garcia moments later, and minutes later, Isi Palazon pulled one back from an Andrei Ratiu cross to the far post, both of who had just come on.
Now Rayo’s attacks were ending with efforts on goal, but Lech edged tentatively back into the game as an attacking force. Pushing ever higher, the game looked more and more broken, but Lech’s defence remained resilient.
With Perez’s changes paying off before, he used his final move to put on Jorge de Frutos, and less than three minutes later, he came careering in at the back post to thump home the equaliser. The feeling that anything was possible was turbo-charging Rayo legs at this point, and Pacha Espino’s shaky performance almost had a cinderella ending, the Uruguayan cracking the bar with a shot from the left side of the box.
An Isi shot was deflected wide in stoppage time, but Vallecas was ready to exhale with a sigh as final seconds ticked away. A long, hopeful ball behind the right-back was full of just that until Alvaro Garcia’s touch sent him through on goal. Sliding his finish into the far corner, Vallecas shook with the outburst.
Before the match, Perez had commented that his side never win easy, and while he might want a simple victory every now and then, it will be tricky for him not to be infected with the euphoria and pride coursing through the fans. It was an imperfect performance for Rayo, but a memory that will imprint on the neighbourhood for years to come.
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