Rayo Vallecano, Athletic Bilbao remain adrift in La Liga Match

Madrid: Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao played out a 1-1 draw in a La Liga match here between two teams that are near the bottom of the Spanish league standings and were badly in need of three points.

Wednesday night’s contest at the Vallecas Stadium began in controversial fashion when Rayo striker Raul de Tomas appeared to score in the 12th minute but had his goal overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR) system, reports Efe news agency.

Although the on-field referee had allowed the goal to stand, the video review showed that the striker had controlled the ball with his right arm before beating Athletic net minder Iago Herrerin with a shot from outside the penalty box.

The setback, however, only seemed to inspire the host club, which took full command of the contest and opened the scoring 10 minutes later thanks to an outstanding individual effort by Jose Angel Pozo.

Athletic, which has never been relegated from the top division since La Liga’s inception in 1929, remains in 17th place out of 20 teams with nine points.

Rayo is still at the 19th spot with just six points after Wednesday night’s draw. IANS