Rayo Vallecano knew that winning this match would boost their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, leapfrogging Celta Vigo who play Sevilla the next day. The visitors started the game strongly, dominating possession and creating several chances early on, but they couldn't find a way to test Rayo's goalkeeper, Dinko Horkas.
The hosts had a few opportunities to take the lead, including a corner kick in the 22nd minute that found Florian Lejuene's head, but his header was straight at the goalkeeper. Later, Mika Marmol's pass found Oli McBurnie in the penalty area, but the striker's shot was saved by Augusto Batalla's impressive reflexes.
Las Palmas struggled to gain momentum after the missed chance, but Rayo managed to hold their ground until halftime, heading into the break level.
The second half started slowly, with neither team creating many scoring opportunities. However, Rayo finally broke the deadlock after 66 minutes when Alvaro Garcia managed to slip past his marker and scored a fantastic shot off the underside of the crossbar.
After the goal, Las Palmas tried to mount a comeback but couldn't create any significant threats to Rayo's defense. Their best chance came in the 77th minute when McBurnie headed a corner over the bar.
Rayo held on to secure a crucial three points, moving up to seventh in the standings, while Las Palmas' situation remains precarious, three points adrift of safety with only three games remaining.
Flashscore's Man of the Match was Aridane Hernandez from Rayo Vallecano.
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