Rayo Vallecano 1 - Valencia 4

Rayo: Keller; Urbano (Luis Cembranos 60'), Patxi Ferreira, Ballesteros, Mingo; Iván Iglesias (Glaucio 68'), Helder (Bolo 60'), Poschner, Setvalls; Quevedo; Bolic. 4-4-1-1.
Valencia: Cañizares; Angloma, Ayala, Pellegrino (Djukic 89'), Carboni; Angulo, Mendieta, Baraja, Kily González (Vicente64'); Juan Sánchez, Carew (Diego Alonso 75'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Rayo: Urbano, Quevedo for Alcázar, Michel / Valencia: Kily González, Carew for Vicente, Diego Alonso.

Goals:
0-1. 44. Ayala. Header from close range after Mendieta free kick from right.
0-2. 49. Kily González. First time volley from left after Mendieta weighted pass.
0-3. 73. Vicente. First time shot from edge of area after Baraja chested down.
1-3. 77. Luis Cembranos. Rounded Alonso and shot into top corner of net.
1-4. 85. Juan Sánchez. Controlled Agulo's hard cross and shot past Keller.

Valencia put an end to their run of three defeats in a row with a comfortable victory against Rayo Vallecano in the only game played on Saturday evening. Although the players had complained that they were tired after Wednesday night's Champions League match at Arsenal, Héctor Cúper put out ten of the eleven players who had started that game, only leaving out Aimar, recently recovered from an injury, with Angulo taking his place. Rayo Vallecano were looking to build on their first victory in six games last week, but were missing the suspended Alcázar and Michel, with Quevedo returning from a two match suspension to find that the referee was none other than Turienzo Alvarez, the man who sent him off the last time he played.

The match was played at great pace in the opening minutes, with Cañizares saving from a long shot by Quevedo and Angulo seeing his shot stopped by Keller, now fully recovered from his concussion last week. Bolic was causing problems for the Valencia defence, and only the crossbar and then an unlucky bounce prevented him from opening the scoring for the home side. But as luck would have it, Valencia took the lead just before half time, Ayala getting his second goal in three days, again with a header from Mendieta's free kick. Three minutes after the break Kily González made it two with a first time volley past Keller from Mendieta's pass, but a quarter of an hour later the Argentinian winger had to be carried off the pitch with what looked like a hamstring injury which could keep him out for a month.

Valencia have the perfect replacement though for Kily, the new Spanish international Vicente, and he added a third goal with minutes of coming on. Juande Ramos had rather rashly brought on Bolo and Luis Cembranos after the second goal, and Luis had already rattled the crossbar with a free kick. Then with a quarter of an hour to go he picked up a failed clearance to shoot over Cañizares and put Rayo back in the game. But they were leaving gaps in defence, and Juan Sánchez took advantage to get away from his marker and beat Keller for a fourth time after an incisive through ball from Angulo. Keller stopped Angulo from making it five just before full time, but his side were well beaten and they drop out of the top half of the table again. Valencia close in to within two points of Deportivo, and although they have little chance of catching leaders Real Madrid, they can hope to take the second spot which gives them automatic entry into the first league stage of the Champions competition.