Real Madrid Held to 1-1 Draw at Rayo Vallecano in Spanish League

Rayo Vallecano's Spanish defender #05 Aridane Hernandez heads the ball next to Real Madrid's Spanish forward #14 Joselu during the Spanish league football match Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
Rayo Vallecano's Spanish defender #05 Aridane Hernandez heads the ball next to Real Madrid's Spanish forward #14 Joselu during the Spanish league football match Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
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Real Madrid Held to 1-1 Draw at Rayo Vallecano in Spanish League

Rayo Vallecano's Spanish defender #05 Aridane Hernandez heads the ball next to Real Madrid's Spanish forward #14 Joselu during the Spanish league football match Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid on February 18, 2024. (AFP)
Rayo Vallecano's Spanish defender #05 Aridane Hernandez heads the ball next to Real Madrid's Spanish forward #14 Joselu during the Spanish league football match Rayo Vallecano de Madrid and Real Madrid CF at the Vallecas stadium in Madrid on February 18, 2024. (AFP)

Real Madrid could see its Spanish league lead reduced after being held to a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Joselu put Madrid ahead only three minutes into the match against its southern Madrid rival, but the hosts equalized through Raúl de Tomás in the 27th.

The draw moved Madrid six points clear of second-place Girona, which visits fifth-place Athletic Bilbao on Monday.

Third-place Barcelona, which won 2-1 at Celta Vigo on Saturday with a stoppage-time penalty kick converted by Robert Lewandowski, was eight points behind Madrid. Fourth-place Atletico Madrid, which routed Las Palmas 5-0 at home Saturday, was 11 points off the lead.

It was a disappointing result for Madrid against a Rayo team that had lost three consecutive league matches and hasn't won in seven straight.

Real Madrid remains unbeaten in its last 19 league games, with 14 wins and five draws. It failed to score only once, in a 0-0 draw against Rayo in November.



Bayern Rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund Drop Points in Bundesliga

Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck gestures after losing the German Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, in Berlin, Germany, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck gestures after losing the German Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, in Berlin, Germany, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
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Bayern Rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund Drop Points in Bundesliga

Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck gestures after losing the German Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, in Berlin, Germany, 05 October 2024. (EPA)
Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck gestures after losing the German Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund, in Berlin, Germany, 05 October 2024. (EPA)

Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.

Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team’s 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel’s second point in its debut top-flight season.

Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club’s 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion – the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before.

Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout.

But the home team failed to make more of its dominance — Boniface had another goal ruled out for offside — and Kiel secured a lifeline before the break when Max Geschwil scored after a corner. Fiete Arp scored an unlikely equalizer from the penalty spot in the 69th.

Also, Freiburg won at Werder Bremen 1-0, and Wolfsburg enjoyed a 3-1 win in Wolfsburg.

St. Pauli was playing Mainz later.

League leader Bayern visits second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.