Rayo Vallecano 1 - Las Palmas 1

Rayo: Keller; Alcázar (Mauro 68'), Ballesteros, De Quintana, Mingo; Glaucio, Poschner, Quevedo, Michel (Bartelt 77'); Bolic, Bolo (Luis Cembranos 85')). 4-4-2.
Las Palmas: Nacho González; Edu Alonso, Alvaro, Schurrer, Olías, Jarni (Angel 78'); Pablo Lago, Samways, Josico; Eloy, Oulare. 5-3-2.

Team changes: Rayo: Glaucio, Michel for Helder, Setvalls / Las Palmas: Olías, Oulare for Paqui, Orlando.

Goals:
0-1. 29. Pablo Lago. After Keller kicked clearance straight at advancing player.
1-1. 39. Bolo. Shot past keeper after short pass from Quevedo.

Honours were shared in this match between two of the league's smaller teams who are both battling for a place in Europe next season. After last year nobody is surprised that Rayo are up there in sixth place, but Las Palmas's eighth position was unexpected, the newly promoted Canary Island side being tipped for relegation at the start of the season. The game was marked by a monumental error by Rayo keeper Kasey Keller in the first half and by two dubious refereeing decisions given against Rayo Vallecano by Daudén Ibáñez in the second. Keller's mistake came around the half hour mark after his team were starting to get back in the game. Pablo Lago ran forward as the ball fell to the US keeper on the edge of the penalty area, and instead of playing it out to one of his waiting defenders, he chose to blast it downfield. Unfortunately he missed his kick and the ball ricocheted off Lago's chest, the midfielder running on to tap it into the empty net.

Keller did make up for his mistake a minute later saving from Oulare, back in the Las Palmas side after playing for Guinea last week, and he also made a couple of good saves in the second half, including a low shot from Edu Alonso. Rayo levelled the scores shortly before half time, Bolo half hitting a shot which bounced in to the ground and over the flailing keeper after Quevedo laid back a cross from the right. Then in the second half Daudén Ibáñez upset the locals with two controversial decisions, firstly ruling out a goal by Ballesteros for a positional offside of Quevedo, who was not interfering with play, and then turning a blind eye when Edu Alonso hacked down Michel in the penalty area. That must have hurt, as the Rayo star was playing with eighteen stitches in his leg from an injury two weeks ago, but what hurt more was the referee's decision.

Earlier De Quintana had put the ball over the bar from close up, and substitute Luis Cembranos got the ball in the net near the end, only to be ruled marginally offside by the referee. Las Palmas had virtually disappeared in the second half, settling for a point after two victories in a row, and keeper Nacho González was booked for wasting time near the end. The result was the second disappointment in three days for Rayo following their elimination from the cup by city neighbours Atlético Madrid, but they stay in sixth place, the first time in their history that they have occupied a UEFA spot at the end of the first half of the season. Málaga's defeat means that Las Palmas rise a place to seventh, still only a point behind Rayo, and Sergio Kresic must be more than satisfied with his team's performance to date. His search for a reliable striker to accompany Guayre in attack (the youngster was injured today) appears to be over, with ex Celta striker Mario Turdó due to join them in a few days. They have had a taste of first division football and they don't want it to slip away. Right now it looks like they will be successful.