Ademola Lookman was on the losing side as Atletico Madrid suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano, bringing their eight match unbeaten away run to an end on matchday 24 of the Spanish LaLiga.
The match was played away from Rayo’s usual home due to poor pitch conditions, but the hosts adapted quickly and stunned Atletico with a clinical display. Diego Simeone’s side, who had lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in their previous LaLiga outing, were hoping to respond strongly but instead endured another setback.
Atletico nearly fell behind in the early stages when Nobel Mendy inadvertently turned Nicolas Gonzalez’s cross against his own crossbar. The visitors also threatened through Alex Baena, whose long range strike narrowly cleared the bar.
Rayo grew in confidence as the first half progressed and broke the deadlock five minutes before the interval. Andrei Ratiu delivered a driven cross into the area that fell kindly to Fran Perez, who slotted into an empty net. Atletico were still reeling when Rayo doubled their lead before the break. Isi Palazon’s powerful effort from the edge of the box forced Jan Oblak into a strong one handed save, but the rebound dropped to Oscar Valentin, who tapped home from close range.
Simeone responded early in the second half by making several substitutions in search of a reaction, but Atletico struggled to create clear openings. Nicolas Gonzalez produced their best effort after driving into the box and forcing Augusto Batalla into a save, yet Rayo remained comfortable.
With just under 15 minutes remaining, Rayo sealed an emphatic victory. Alvaro Garcia Rivera sent a deep cross to the far post and Mendy rose to head home, putting the result beyond doubt and handing Rayo their first win in this fixture since February 2013.
Ademola Lookman was introduced in the 63rd minute in place of Clement Lenglet but was unable to influence proceedings. The Nigerian forward had no shots, completed two of his four passes and recorded six touches in a quiet cameo appearance.
The defeat leaves Atletico fourth in LaLiga with 45 points, while Rayo move up to 16th on 25 points, climbing out of the relegation zone after ending a poor run of form that had seen them suffer four consecutive defeats prior to this encounter.
