Real Madrid 3 - Rayo Vallecano 1

Real Madrid: Casillas; Geremi, Hierro, Karanka, Roberto Carlos; Figo, Iván Helguera, Makelele (Celades 58'), McManaman (Guti 55'); Raúl, Savio (Flavio Conceiçao 78'). 4-4-2.
Rayo: Keller; Alcázar, Ballesteros, De Quintana, Mingo; Mauro (Iván Iglesias 60'), Pablo Sanz (Glaucio 60'), Quevedo, Michel; Bolic, Bolo (Bartelt 70'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Madrid: Hierro, Savio for Iván Campo, Morientes / Rayo: Keller, De Quintana, Mauro, Bolo for Lopetegui, Urbano, Helder, Setvalls.

Goals:
1-0. 08. Figo. Took pass from Helguera, rounded defender and scored from angle.
2-0. 13. Iván Helguera. Header near to goal after cross from Figo out on right wing.
2-1. 64. Michel. Left foot volley on far post after Bolo crossed from right.
3-1. 73. Raúl. Lifted ball over Keller and volleyed spectacularly with left foot.

Real Madrid kept up their challenge on the leaders with a comfortable victory against their city neighbours Rayo Vallecano in a match brought forward 24 hours to Tuesday night. Del Bosque brought back club captain Fernando Hierro after his one match suspension, and with Morientes once again injured and Guti not yet fully match fit, Savio was given a chance to shine in his natural position in attack. Juande Ramos brought in US keeper Kasey Keller as he is wont to do in midweek games, and De Quintana returned after his one match suspension, with Bolo partnering Bolic up front in a surprisingly aggressive line up. It was award time before the start of the game, with Real Madrid collecting the FIFA trophy as the best team in the world in the twentieth century and Spain's Davis Cup winning player Juan Carlos Ferrero, a Madrid supporter, taking the honorary kick off.

Luis Figo was also an award winner this week, and he put behind him the disappointment of finishing runner up to Zidane in the FIFA world awards by winning the prestigious France Football "balon d' or" awarded by sports journalists to the best player in Europe over the last 12 months. And he celebrated in style, delighting the home fans with a goal in the eighth minute of the game after a pass from Iván Helguera, and returning the favour to the Spanish international defender with a weighted cross to the far post for the second goal five minutes later. Madrid were flying, and Keller saved twice from Savio and Raúl before Roberto Carlos thundered a 30 yard free kick against the base of the post with the keeper well beaten. But Rayo Vallecano started this match as the league's top scoring team with one more than their neighbours, and Michel sent out a reminder just before half time with a free kick which Casillas saved. Incidentally the young keeper was another Real Madrid player in the news this week, having been nominated amongst the eight best keepers in the world by the German based organisation IFFHS.

Shortly after the break referee Mejuto González ruled out a Raúl goal for offside much to the anger of the home fans, and a few minutes later Guti, who had just replaced the injured McManaman, shot wide. But their concentration lapsed, and Michel put the visitors back in the game with a cool first time volley on the far post after Bolo had created space on the right, his twelfth goal of the season. Two minutes later it could have been evens as Quevedo put a header over the bar after a well worked move. But then the maestro appeared on stage, Raúl to his friends, restoring the two goal lead with a work of art which undoubtedly appeared on television round ups around the world. The young forward brought down Hierro's long pass with his left, flicked the ball up over the advancing Keller with his right, and without waiting for it to bounce, struck a high left foot volley into the net from a wide angle left of goal. Rayo were finished, and Real Madrid moved back up to the top of the table for a day before Valencia overtook them on goal average on Wednesday. They still have a game in hand though, and with six league wins in a row they must be favourites for the league title right now. Rayo drop to a still respectable sixth, and can now relax during their Christmas break having run the gauntlet of Depor, Barça and Madrid with two points to their name. Others have done worse.