Bellingham Nets Again as Real Madrid Fails to Secure Top Spot

Jude Bellingham scored for the sixth successive La Liga game, a result that prevented Real Madrid from moving to the top of the table after a captivating draw against Rayo Vallecano. This extends his scoring run to seven goals in Real Madrid’s last eight games across all competitions. The England midfielder, Bellingham, equalized the score at 2-2 just before the conclusion of an intense first half. He achieved this by heading Rodrygo’s precise cross into the far corner, marking his seventh goal across all competitions this season. Carlo Ancelotti’s team, playing without the injured Kylian Mbappe, conceded an early goal merely five minutes into the match at the Estadio do Vallecas. Unai Lopez scored by heading Jorge de Frutos’ pass into the far corner. Abdul Mumin extended Vallecano’s lead with a header nine minutes prior to halftime. However, Federico Valverde narrowed the deficit with a well-executed, long-range shot before Bellingham subsequently brought the score level. The 21-year-old, who has now scored in seven of his club’s previous eight games across all competitions, has become the first Real Madrid player to score in six consecutive La Liga fixtures since Karim Benzema achieved the feat in early 2016. Rodrygo gave Madrid the lead 11 minutes into the second half with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area. Nevertheless, the host team secured a hard-fought point when Isi Palazon redirected Florian Lejeune’s long-distance attempt past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Late in the game, second-half substitute Vinicius Junior nearly clinched the victory for Madrid, but his forceful shot was pushed over the crossbar by goalkeeper Augusto Batalla. Real Madrid continues to trail La Liga leaders Barcelona by a single point. Barcelona has the opportunity to extend their lead to four points should they defeat Leganes, who are currently struggling, in their home match on Sunday.