Real Madrid 2-1 Rayo Vallecano: Mbappe penalty in 100th minute hands hosts victory but Bellingham suffers injury

Real Madrid dramatically stayed within a point of Barcelona at the top of LaLiga after Kylian Mbappe scored in the 10th minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano.

Vinicius Junior’s stunning opener was cancelled out by Jorge de Frutos early in the second half and looked likely to drop points at home even after the visitors were reduced to 10 men.

But with 100 minutes on the clock, Nobel Mendy’s foul of Brahim Diaz handed the hosts the chance to secure the win, with Mbappe stepping up and scoring. Rayo ended the game with only nine players after Pep Chavarria joined Pathe Ciss in being sent his marching orders late on.

The victory was Real’s sixth consecutive league victory and keeps them just a point behind Barca.

A sour note to the victory was an injury to Jude Bellingham, who left the field in tears sparking concerns over his fitness for the rest of the season and England’s World Cup campaign.

Vinicius opened the scoring for Real with his first goal since October. The Brazilian raced clear down the left before twisting and turning inside before firing a brilliant strike into the top corner.

Despite going in at half-time ahead, they were greeted with jeers at the Bernabeu with fans frustrated with a lack of chances created against a side just a place above the relegation zone.

And that frustration only grew early in the second half when the visitors equalised, with De Frutos finishing off a wonderful team move to stun Real as they were made to pay for complacency in defence.

Thibaut Courtois had to keep the hosts in the game just after the hour mark when Andrei Ratiu broke through one-on-one, with the Real stopper producing a great save with his leg.

Kylian Mbappe then spurned a glorious chance to put Real in front when he took it round the goalkeeper some distance out but his shot then came off the crossbar.

A chaotic finish saw Rayo reduced to 10 men for a stamp by Pape Ciss before Edouardo Camavinga struck the post as Real pushed for a winner.

But just when it looked like they were heading for more dropped points, the referee pointed to the spot in the eighth minute of stoppage time when Mendy got his clearance completely wrong and brought Diaz down.

Up stepped Mbappe to seal the victory with 100 minutes on the clock, to ensure they stayed alive in the race for the title.