Football, I could never live without it. That’s why I try to attend as many matches as possible. I did that for years in Belgium and now I try to do the same in Spain. As I mentioned earlier on the blog, it’s not that difficult to get tickets for Rayo Vallecano. You just have to go to the stadium a few days before the match and you can buy them there. With a big club like Real Betis coming on Monday evening, it seemed like the perfect time to head to the stadium in the Vallecas neighbourhood. Yesterday, I went with my fellow student William. He has a successful football-related Instagram account called Footebate. He also thought it would be a great idea to go to this match to shoot content for his social media channels. So no sooner said than done. Before the match, I helped him interview supporters around the stadium to use in his videos later.
This time I was sitting in a different spot than the last time I came to watch a match here. This time we were sitting right behind the away team’s bench. Before the match started, I was sitting a metre away from top footballers such as world champion Lo Celso and former Barça player Marc Bartra. The legendary coach Manuel Pellegrini of the Andalusian team was also present. That alone made the experience worthwhile. The match kicked off and soon it was pouring with rain. There you are, sitting in the Estadio de Vallecas, in a place with no roof. After just a few minutes, Rayo’s right-back Andrei Ratiu came up with a long run and fired a hard, low shot from distance, but it was no problem for goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. The next danger came from the home team when central defender Lejeune took a free kick on the edge of the 16-yard box. His shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, but the rebound was easy to tap in. The goal seemed certain, but three Rayo Vallecano players got in each other’s way. Miraculously, the score remained level. Only a shot from crowd favourite Isi was noteworthy in the first half, but both teams went into the dressing room with the score at 0-0. Rayo in particular will be disappointed not to be ahead. Personally, I had expected much more from the away team from Seville.
The match resumed with 22 players on the pitch and rain continuing to fall. Betis came forward for the first time in the second half. From a corner, the ball found its way to Aitor Ruibal, who did not hesitate, but his long-range shot was saved by Augusto Batalla. What followed was some back-and-forth football, without any real notable events. Until, who else but Isi tried his luck from distance. Unfortunately for the home team, his long-range shot hit the right post. It was a very precise shot that deserved better. Only one other small chance, which was easily saved by Rayo goalkeeper Batalla, was worth mentioning.
Final score 0-0. The match ended with the same score it started with at 9 p.m. Lots of rain, but not a single goal. Lots of good players, but they really held back in this match. Quickly into the metro and hoping for better matches in the future. Still, I will remember something from this evening. I was able to help my fellow student William film his content and meet some real local supporters. And I can tick off another team that I have seen play at the highest level of Spanish football. On to more and better sport adventures.
