Mbappé Penalty in the 100th Minute Rescues Real Madrid Against Rayo

Kylian Mbappé’s penalty deep into stoppage time sealed a dramatic 2-1 victory for Real Madrid over Rayo Vallecano, cutting Barcelona’s lead at the top of LaLiga to just one point.

With time almost up at the Bernabéu, Nobel Mendy’s reckless challenge inside a crowded box brought down Brahim Díaz, and Mbappé calmly converted from the spot to claim his 22nd league goal of the season.

Vinícius brilliance undone after the break

Real had taken an early lead through Vinícius Júnior, who ended a long LaLiga goal drought in style. The Brazilian danced his way into the box before lofting a sublime finish over Augusto Batalla and into the top corner after 15 minutes.

Madrid pushed for a second, but Batalla kept Rayo alive with a superb save from Arda Güler, while Vinícius dragged the rebound wide. Despite Madrid’s control, familiar defensive issues lingered following their midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica.

Rayo respond as Madrid lose Bellingham

The hosts were dealt an early blow when Jude Bellingham was forced off inside ten minutes with a suspected hamstring injury. Rayo grew into the contest and were rewarded shortly after half-time.

Just four minutes into the second period, Jorge de Frutos latched onto Álvaro García’s clever knockdown and fired past Thibaut Courtois to level the scores.

Chaos, red cards and late drama

The match turned increasingly frantic as Madrid saw multiple penalty appeals waved away and were relieved when Andrei Rațiu broke clear, only to be denied by Courtois.

Mbappé then came agonisingly close to restoring Madrid’s lead, racing past Batalla and smashing an effort against the crossbar from a tight angle.

Rayo’s resistance weakened when Pathé Ciss was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Dani Ceballos, and the visitors were reduced to nine men in the final moments as Pep Chavarría picked up a second yellow for shoving Rodrygo.

Madrid struck the woodwork again through Eduardo Camavinga, but Batalla continued to frustrate the hosts with a stunning point-blank save from Rodrygo.

Mbappé keeps his nerve at the death

With seconds remaining, Madrid finally found their breakthrough. Mendy’s wild clearance caught Brahim Díaz, and after a lengthy delay, Mbappé stepped up in the 100th minute to send Batalla the wrong way and spark wild celebrations.

The victory moves Real Madrid to within one point of Barcelona after 22 games, while Rayo remain 17th — just one point above the relegation zone.