Rayo Vallecano continued its surprising push for European qualification with a 1-0 victory over last-placed Real Valladolid in La Liga on Friday.
Álvaro Garcia scored the decisive goal in the 71st minute after Valladolid’s defense failed to deal with a cross from the right. Garcia skillfully controlled the ball before firing it through the goalkeeper’s legs.
The win extended Rayo’s unbeaten run in La Liga to a club-record nine matches.
The team climbed to sixth place on the table, holding a four-point lead over Girona, which faces Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
With the top six teams guaranteed a spot in European competition next season, Rayo’s winger Isi remained optimistic about the team’s prospects.
“We have to be realistic, we have 35 points and we can dream,” Isi said. “We’ve worked and we’ve fought to get where we are and I think we can do it. But that’s part of having an ambitious mentality.”
