Real Madrid Suffer First La Liga Loss Of 2022/23 Season After Being Outplayed At Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid's unbeaten record in La Liga this season is over after Carlo Ancelotti's side lost 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.

Real Madrid's unbeaten record in La Liga this season is over after Carlo Ancelotti's side lost 3-2 at Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.

Star striker Karim Benzema missed the game due to a fitness issue but Real's problems were as much in defense as they were in attack.

Real have now failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 of their 13 league games this season.

2 - #RealMadrid ⚪️⚪️ have kept only two clean sheets in their 13 games in @LaLigaEN 2022/23, their lowest tally at this stage of the season since 2013/14, also under Carlo Ancelotti (W10 D1 L2). Hole. pic.twitter.com/9V6AhS5rEQ

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2022

Rayo started on the front foot and took the lead on five minutes when Santi Comesana met a Francisco Garcia cross with his left foot.

Marco Asensio was playing his 250th game for Real and he won them a penalty when he was fouled by Garcia.

Luka Modric converted the spot-kick in the 37th minute and Real then went ahead moments later when Eder Militao headed in from an Asensio corner.

5 - @marcoasensio10 🇪🇸, que ha disputado su partido 250 con el @realmadrid ⚪️⚪️ en todas las competiciones, ha provocado su quinto penalti en @LaLiga, el cuarto con la elástica merengue y el primero desde septiembre de 2018 frente al Leganés. Meteoro. pic.twitter.com/fPdBrJv0No

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2022

But Rayo hit back just before half-time when Isi Palazon set up Alvaro Garcia to equalize.

The game was highly competitive, overly so at times. Nine players received yellow cards and there were 33 fouls.

One of those yellow cards was awarded to Dani Carvajal midway through the second half after he handled the ball inside the penalty area.

The referee did not originally award the penalty but a VAR review resulted in him pointing to the spot.

VAR was involved again after Thibaut Courtois saved Oscar Trejo's spot-kick. Replays showed that Courtois had left his line too early so a retake was ordered.

Trejo managed to just sneak his second attempt past Courtois.

3 - #RayoVallecano ⚡️ have scored three goals against #RealMadrid ⚪️⚪️ for the second time in their history in @LaLigaEN after October 1977 (3-2 win at home). This has been the first defeat for Los Blancos in the competition this season. Thunder. pic.twitter.com/q38babGklQ

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 7, 2022

Rayo were good value for their victory as they recorded seven shots on target - five more than Real.

But Real were presented with a golden chance to steal a point in stoppage time when Vinicius Junior fired over the bar from ultra-close range.

Real's defeat sees them stay two points behind title rivals Barcelona in La Liga.

Rayo Vallecano's players pictured celebrating a goal during their 3-2 win over Real Madrid :: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire/Federico Titone