Rayo Vallecano secured their first win of the LaLiga EA Sports season this Saturday, but the 3-2 victory over Racing de Santander at Butarque was marred by a severe disciplinary crisis and deep social unrest at the club. Beñat San José's team finished the match with three players sent off in a series of incidents that overshadowed Sergio Camello's goalscoring debut.
The Vallecano side, who sit 18th in the standings with just one point from three games, showed character to come from behind twice. A stunning free-kick from Sergio Canales put the Cantabrians ahead, but Andrei Ratiu, whose move to the Premier League fell through this summer according to El País, quickly equalised. Pablo García, one of four Racing signings to debut that day, put the visitors ahead again, but a brace from Sergio Camello in the 43rd and 47th minutes turned the game around and gave Rayo the three points.
Why were three Rayo Vallecano players sent off?
The joy of victory was immediately dampened by a succession of red cards in the final phase of the match. Marca detailed that referee Alejandro Quintero González first sent off Fran Pérez in the 85th minute for an elbow. The reaction from the Rayo bench provoked a second red, shown to set-piece coach Iban Fagoaga Aguirre. The most controversial came in the 90th minute, when Jorge De Frutos, who was already on the bench, was expelled for, according to the match report consulted by the outlet, "leaving the bench shouting and gesticulating repeatedly".
Both striker Sergio Camello and coach Beñat San José strongly questioned the referee's decisions in statements collected by Marca. "The image we see of Fran is exaggerated for a red card," stated Camello. San José was more blunt: "In my opinion, they were not red cards." These absences pose a serious problem for the next fixture, a visit to the Santiago Bernabéu to face second-placed Real Madrid.
How does the fan protest affect the club?
While the team played in exile at Butarque due to the withdrawal of the Estadio de Vallecas concession, the fans took to the streets of the neighbourhood. Thousands of supporters, summoned by the Plataforma ADRV and the Federation of Peñas, demonstrated under the slogan 'Rayo is from Vallekas or it will not be'. The protest, joined by former players like Jesús Diego Cota, was directly aimed at president Raúl Martín Presa, whom they called on to resign over the "delicate institutional and sporting situation".
The head of the march displayed a banner reading 'SOS Rayo. Presa, disqualification'. Chants of 'Presa, leave' echoed throughout the route, which ended at an empty Vallecas. Many of these fans chose not to go to Butarque as a protest, explaining the low attendance of 4,529 spectators for a league match. This social tension adds to the precarious sporting situation, with the team having conceded 8 goals in their first three games.
What role did Sergio Camello play in the win?
The Madrid-born forward was undoubtedly the man of the match. Author of two goals and the assist for Ratiu's strike, Camello was the spearhead of a Rayo side that showed offensive improvement. His first goal came after a great team move to make it 2-2, and the second, just after the start of the second half, proved decisive. His performance is a glimmer of hope for a team that needs to score more, having netted only 4 goals so far this season.
His form contrasts with the confirmed absences currently hampering the team. Rayo Vallecano has three players sidelined on their squad list: goalkeeper Augusto Batalla, defender Jozhua Vertrouwd and midfielder Luiz Felipe. The absence of these players, combined with the suspensions from the red cards, complicates preparation for the difficult trip to the Bernabéu on September 12, a match you can follow on our fixtures calendar.
