Latest Rayo Vallecano News & Updates

Liverpool, June 5 (IANS) New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola said he is ‘ready for the challenge’ of leading one of world football’s biggest clubs after being appointed as the successor to Arne Slot ahead of the 2026-27 season. The 43-year-old Spaniard arrives at Anfield following a successful three-year spell with Bournemouth, where he guided the club to a historic sixth-place Premier League finish and qualification for European competition for the first time in their history.Speaking to…

Madrid, June 1 (IANS) Villarreal on Monday confirmed former Rayo Vallecano coach Inigo Perez as their new first-team coach, with the 38-year-old signing a three-year contract until the end of June 2029.Perez, who retired from playing in 2022, replaces Marcelino Garcia Toral, who left the club at the end of last season despite leading Villarreal to a third-place finish in La Liga behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, securing Champions League qualification for the second consecutive season.He arri…

Madrid, May 24 (IANS) The 2025-26 La Liga season ended Saturday night with Barcelona champion, Real Madrid second and Oviedo, Mallorca and Girona relegated to the second tier. Some clubs can look back with satisfaction, while others face an uncomfortable summer. Here are the end-of-term marks in Spain’s top flightFC Barcelona finished top of the class, with Hansi Flick’s side recovering from a slow start, perhaps affected by the loss of defender Inigo Martinez to Saudi Arabia, to dominate the co…

Madrid, May 24 (IANS) The last round of matches in La Liga ended with a nail-biting end to the season which saw Mallorca and Girona join Oviedo in relegation to the second division, while Celta and Getafe assured their places in Europe for next season.The last round kicked off with five teams in danger of the drop, but Elche would be safe if it could avoid defeat to Girona.Alvaro Rodriguez’s 39th minute goal put Elche ahead, and although Arnau Martinez levelled early in the second half, Girona w…

Madrid, May 21 (IANS) The top-flight La Liga heads into a dramatic final weekend, with two European places and two relegation spots to be decided in a tense two-hour spell in Spain on Saturday night.Barcelona have already been crowned champions, Real Madrid are guaranteed to finish second, and Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, and Real Betis have secured places in next season’s Champions League.Real Sociedad have qualified for the Europa League after winning the Copa del Rey against Atletico Madrid i…

Madrid, May 18 (IANS) The struggle to qualify for European football next season and avoid relegation remains wide-open after the penultimate round of matches in La Liga on Sunday.Vinicius Jr scored in the 15th minute as Real Madrid won 1-0 away to Sevilla, who was safe from relegation with results elsewhere in its favor.In the race to qualify for Europe, Celta Vigo remains sixth after a 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao. Williot Swedberg scored an early goal for Celta, while Inaki Williams levele…

Madrid, May 8 (IANS) Spain has secured an extra UEFA Champions League place for next season after Rayo Vallecano reached the UEFA Conference League final with a 1-0 victory over Strasbourg on Thursday night.The Madrid-based side completed a 2-0 aggregate semifinal win to book a place in the first European final in the club’s history. More importantly for Spanish football, the result guaranteed Spain second place in this season’s UEFA coefficient rankings, surpassing Germany in the list.Spain…

London, May 8 (IANS) Ismaila Sarr netted for the fifth Conference League match running to ensure Crystal Palace clinch a spot in their first European final with a 5-2 aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the semifinals, triumphing 3-1 away in Krakow before a 2-1 win over the Ukrainian team at Selhurst Park. Palace will now face La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano in the final, which will be held at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on May 27. Palace are just one step away from more history, as they …

Madrid, May 4 (IANS) Villarreal has confirmed that coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will leave the club at the end of the current season after two and a half years in charge in his second spell, during which he twice led the club into the Champions League.The news came in a statement published by the club after Saturday’s 5-1 home win over Levante, which secured Villarreal’s place in next season’s Champions League and left the east-coast club third in La Liga with a five-point cushion over Atletico …

Madrid, May 4 (IANS) Vinicius Junior scored twice as Real Madrid won 2-0 away to Espanyol, delaying FC Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations.Anything other than a Madrid win at the RCDE Stadium would have confirmed Barcelona as champion with four games remaining, but the title race now looks set to be decided in next weekend’s Clasico.Madrid remains 11 points behind Barcelona with 12 points still to play for, meaning a draw for Barcelona at Camp Nou next week would secure a second title in two …