James Rodríguez Debuts with Victory for Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano secured a comeback victory against Osasuna, winning 3-1 in a special match marked by James Rodríguez’s debut for the team. The goals came from Senegalese center-back Abdul Mumin, Romanian right-back Andrei Ratiu, and midfielder Unai López, all scored in the second half.
After two consecutive losses to Barcelona and Espanyol, Rayo Vallecano entered the match eager to turn their fortunes around in front of their fans, who were excited for the debut of their new star, James Rodríguez.
Osasuna, missing their usual striker Ante Budimir due to injury, found a temporary replacement in Raúl García de Haro, who gave Osasuna the lead in the 27th minute. García de Haro capitalized on a poorly cleared aerial ball by Abdul Mumin, dribbling past Óscar Valentín and shooting from the edge of the box, with the ball slipping past Augusto Batalla.
The break proved beneficial for Rayo, as they quickly equalized five minutes into the second half. Mumin redeemed himself with a powerful left-footed shot from a tight angle, hitting the top corner of Sergio Herrera’s goal.
Osasuna's goalkeeper, Sergio Herrera, made a crucial save to deny Isi Palazón shortly after. However, he could not prevent Andrei Ratiu from scoring in the 66th minute. Ratiu met a cross from Pep Chavarría and, with a slight deflection off Pablo Ibáñez, managed to score.
The highlight of the match came in the 86th minute when James Rodríguez, wearing the number 10 shirt, made his entrance onto the pitch. The Colombian’s arrival was eagerly captured by fans with their phones. Despite showing flashes of his quality in a few moments, his impact was brief.
In stoppage time, Rayo sealed the victory with a counter-attack finished off by Unai López, who scored a powerful shot from the edge of the box to make it 3-1.
