Stingy Rayo Vallecano booked their place in the quarter finals of the Conference
Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Samsunspor (3-2 on aggregate)
Rayo Vallecano booked their place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship for the second time in just their second appearance in continental competition. Despite losing on the night to Samsunspor, Rayo held firm to ensure they maintained their lead from the first leg.
The atmosphere was one of a crowd that wanted to enjoy the event, and despite the pressure that comes with the opportunity to play in the quarter-finals of Europe for the second time, the Rayo players showed that they were also determined to enjoy themselves, with the original strategies and the performances of Andrei Ratiu and Isi Palazon. Not without a thing either, with Jorge de Frutos forcing two excellent saves from Okan Kocuk.
Samsunspor had a good opening which was headed over the bar by Marius Mouandilmadji, but the Turkish side struggled to keep up with Rayo when the ball was turned over. Pathe Ciss and Unai Lopez have been looking for wingers Alvaro Garcia and de Frutos in the space. Their threat diminished as the half wore on, but with Samsunspor kept at bay, there were no signs of concern about the osmotic relationship between the crowd, coaching staff and players.
Before the game, Inigo Perez said that he wanted his players to play the game as if the first leg had not happened, and at the beginning of the second half, he found new energy from his players. Isi Palazon hit the side netting after a good move down the left, before forcing Okan to curl an effort over the bar. Now starting to direct the Rayo attack, Isi’s excellent play again left de Frutos alone with the defender and on the right, but he too only found the side of the net.
To their credit, it was their first opening of the game that Samsunspor took the lead. Cherif Ndiaye led the counter-attack, slipping to Marius Mouandilmadji on the edge of the box. He then put it into the path of Ndiaye, who beat Luiz Felipe with speed, rolling it into the net just after the hour.
Rayo came again, asking questions and playing for Samsunspor. However, the urgency was evident in the players of Samsunspor, who saw their return was near. Antoine Makoumbou’s good play led to a cross at the back of the goal, where Mouandilmadji was unable to match Ivan Balliu, but he was unable to keep his head down.
For the first time, Rayo began to look uncomfortable. The sharp zip was out of their game, to be replaced by an image of few passing options, and a long clearance at the back of the Samsunspor defense. For all this, the picture may have looked a little bright for the first time, Samsunspor did not get any easy shots on goal.
Perez sent on Pedro Diaz and Oscar Valentin to revive his midfield, and the encouraging runs managed to rouse the Vallecas crowd. When stoppage time passed, the beat of the drum and the nearness of victory cheered the Rayo team at the final whistle.
The final note of the game was another good save from Okan, pushing away Sergio Camello’s excellent header, and the truth is that he probably deserved the man of the match award. Even if the scoreline doesn’t show it, Rayo might feel bad about not winning or at least drawing in the game on the night. As it was, fans and players alike took to the streets of Vallecas with the exciting prospect of a trip to Greece, where AEK Athens await them in the last eight of the Conference League.
