Oviedo 0 - 0 FT Rayo Vallecano

Twin dismissals derail Oviedo's survival bid against Rayo's title push

Skip It Futmetrix Score: 32/100. Two red cards—Ilyas Chaira's 53rd-minute foul and Pathé Ismaïl Ciss's 92nd-minute violence—transformed this six-pointer into a cautionary tale of indiscipline that buried both sides' attacking ambitions.

Intensity ignited, goals extinguished

From the opening whistle, intensity dominated the narrative. Rayo Vallecano arrived ravenous—61% possession, 11 shots—while Oviedo clung to defensive discipline like a drowning man to driftwood. Dani Calvo was monumental in the Oviedo backline, winning every aerial duel, every 50-50 ball. His outstanding performance kept the hosts alive despite relentless Madrid pressure.

The balance shattered in the 53rd minute when Ilyas Chaira received his marching orders for a reckless challenge. Down to 10 men, Oviedo was condemned to suffer. Aarón Escandell answered the call with three crucial saves, refusing to yield. With numerical disadvantage, every mistake was potentially fatal.

Unai López orchestrated Rayo's midfield with surgical precision, threading passes from deep. Yet profligacy was brutal: 11 shots, only 3 on target. Set-piece pressure (11 corners total) generated chaos, but Escandell and his backline held firm through sheer will.

In the 92nd minute, when a draw seemed inevitable, Pathé Ismaïl Ciss sealed his own misfortune with violent conduct. Straight red. Both teams finished with 10 men, both with appetites unsated. The scoreline remained 0-0—a result that favored neither, punished both.

Drowning men and the lifeline: Oviedo's last stand against a stalled Rayo

Average Entertainment Futmetrix Score: 48/100. With Oviedo in freefall at the bottom of La Liga and Rayo Vallecano stuck in mediocrity, this is a six-pointer neither can afford to lose.

The Setup

Oviedo is hemorrhaging: 20th place, just 9 points from 14 games. Only one home win in six attempts (16.7%)—a damning indictment of their inability to protect their own patch. Form reads LDLDD. Yet this collision with Rayo presents a rare opening. The visitors sit 9th with 17 points, but five consecutive draws expose their fatal flaw: they cannot finish. The Stakes are existential for the Asturians; every point dropped is a nail in the coffin.

Key Battle

Aarón Escandell vs Fran Pérez. Oviedo's goalkeeper has been their sole lifeline, recording 26 saves across five matches (5.2 per game) with a 7.8 average rating. Escandell is the dam holding back the flood. Pérez and Rayo's attack must find precision to breach him. If the keeper falls, Oviedo collapses entirely.

Our Prediction

Draw 1-1. Oviedo strike first from desperation, hunting an early goal to ease the pressure. Rayo respond in the second half without ever truly threatening. Both teams leave with a point they didn't want—Oviedo needs wins, not draws; Rayo needs any result that stops the bleeding.