Late penalty seals Real Madrid's hard-fought 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano
1 February 2026
Ibrahim Diaz got it.
Real Madrid edged Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in Week 22 of La Liga at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Madrid's victory owed much to their two stars, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé, who found the net in the 15th and 90+10th minutes from a penalty.
The match looked set for a 1-1 draw until Diaz burst through, was fouled by Mendy, and earned a penalty Mbappé buried in stoppage time (90+10).
Iturralde González, the refereeing expert for AS and Cadena SER, said the decision was correct: It is a penalty.
With the result Madrid move to 54 points in second place, while Rayo remain on 22 points in 17th.
Punchline 1: If penalties were jokes, Mbappé just delivered the punchline at 90+10—timing is everything.
Punchline 2: The drama was so sharp you could cut the tension with a wing of the Bernabéu; sniper edition, truly.
