Vallecas was meant to mark a homecoming for Rayo Vallecano after weeks away in Leganés, but the first league afternoon back in their own ground brought an early interruption as supporters made their dissatisfaction visible. Fourteen minutes into Saturday’s meeting with Athletic Club, a shower of balls and paper aeroplanes from the stands forced referee José María Sánchez to halt play, with no immediate indication of when the match could restart.
The interruption came after a lively opening in Madrid, where Rayo had begun with greater authority. Jorge de Frutos had already put the ball past Unai Simón after taking Álvaro García’s pass, only for Sergio Camello to be ruled offside earlier in the move. De Frutos then tested Simón again with a low angled effort, but the Athletic goalkeeper got down sharply to keep the score level.
Athletic, short of several of their usual attacking figures, had initially struggled to establish possession or territory. Yuri Berchiche later found Robert Navarro with a forward pass, but Mujaid Sadick stepped in before the midfielder could make contact. The Basque visitors had started to reach the Rayo penalty area more regularly when the protests stopped the contest.
A return to Vallecas, and a familiar opponent
It was Rayo’s first LaLiga fixture at Vallecas this season following stadium work that had sent their home matches to Butarque. Supporters had previously returned for the Trofeo Vallecas against Cagliari, but Athletic’s visit was the first league occasion back in the neighbourhood ground.
The sides entered the eighth round level on eight points, with Rayo 12th and Athletic 10th. Athletic had recorded two wins, two draws and two defeats, including one victory and one loss away from San Mamés. Their previous official game had been a goalless draw against Alavés 20 days earlier.
Rayo had not beaten Athletic since 2021. Bilbao had won four of the previous five meetings, while the exception was a 1-1 draw at Vallecas on 28 February: De Frutos scored first for Rayo and Iñaki Williams levelled after the interval. Athletic had won the three encounters immediately before that draw.
Beñat San José approached the occasion with a particular connection to the visitors through his Basque background. He described Athletic as “a club with an identity unlike any other in the world” and called it a special match for him as a Basque coach. He praised Ernesto Valverde’s earlier work as exceptional and said Edin Terzi had added his own stamp, while stressing that Rayo would need to press against a side he expected to have many options.
Athletic reshaped by absences
Terzi’s selection was made without Nico Williams, Oihan Sancet and Aymeric Laporte. Williams has a moderate injury to the rectus femoris in his left thigh, while Sancet has a similarly graded problem in his left soleus. Laporte was unavailable because of illness. Dani Vivian returned to the squad, and Djaló was included despite having initially been affected by flu-like symptoms.
Christian Imga, 17, was also named in the travelling group. Terzi said that the badge mattered more than the name on the shirt, adding that he had complete faith in his players. He pledged to keep the group together and give opportunities to those who had featured less, as well as Lezama prospects, while saying he intended to protect Imga during his first-team introduction.
Rayo began with Emil Audero in goal; Iván Balliu, Mujaid Sadick, Florian Lejeune and Adrià Pedrosa in defence; Pathé Ciss, Unai López and Pedro Díaz across midfield; and De Frutos, Álvaro García and Camello leading the attack. Athletic selected Simón; Jesús Areso, Yeray Álvarez, Aitor Paredes and Yuri Berchiche; Íñigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Beñat Gerenabarrena, Robert Navarro, Peio Canales and Álex Berenguer; with Iñaki Williams up front.
Sánchez had Javier Iglesias on VAR duty and Daniel Jesús Trujillo as assistant VAR. For the moment, however, the official’s immediate task was not a close decision but the unsettled air around a game that had barely found its rhythm before Vallecas made itself heard.
