Highlight Rayo Vallecano 0 - 0 Celta Vigo: Sky Blues play out Vallecas stalemate

There was no separating the two sides in this Monday night La Liga clash, as European aspirants Rayo Vallecano were forced to settle for a point against strugglers Celta Vigo.

Perhaps motivated by their intention to avoid relegation for the first time in 15 years, Celta Vigo put the home side under pressure from the very first minute. However, the Vallecas natives were unflustered by the dominance of ‘Los Celestes’ on the ball, and it was they who produced two successive left-footed opportunities via forwards Radamel Falcao and Isi Palazon, with the latter harrowingly striking the post.

Rayo threatened to draw first blood more than once, forcing Celta goalkeeper Matias Dituro to display top form to shield his goal on multiple occasions. With HT on the horizon, the visitors conjured up a promising chance from Thiago Galhardo’s tap-in, only to see the Franjirrojos’ shot stopper Stole Dimitrievski pull off an impressive save, just before Rayo’s Palazon rallied a superb volley just over the crossbar on the other end.

In a campaign where a European spot looks highly achievable for Rayo, they almost went one-up after the restart from a sublime counter-attack, which ended with Dituro leaping like a salmon to deny a goal. A host of substitutions from coach Eduardo Coudet facilitated changes in Celta’s formation, as they looked keen to overturn their recent struggling form of having lost three of the last four league matches.

It only half-worked though, and with neither side having the teeth to materialise clear-cut opportunities in the latter minutes, a goalless stalemate perfectly summed up the toothless encounter between the duo, which could play a significant role in the future standings of both teams.

On a positive note for Rayo, only one promoted side in La Liga this century has picked up more points than their tally of 20 after a dozen rounds of league action, with that team ironically being Celta Vigo in the 2005/06 season. In stark contrast to that season, however, ‘O Celtiña’ sit uncomfortably in the bottom half of the league standings with just 11 points.