Real Madrid lost their first La Liga game of the season going down 3-2 at city-rivals Rayo Vallecano on Monday to leave Barcelona two points clear at the top.
Rayo took an early lead in a see-saw game before Real went 2-1 ahead. Rajo equalised before half-time before winning the match with a twice-taken penalty from Oscar Trejo in the 67th minute.
With this first defeat in LaLiga Santander, Real Madrid have conceded the lead to Barcelona with 13 games played.
Xavi Hernandez’s men are two points behind and tonight they face the last matchday before the league comes to a halt and the big tournament in Doha begins.
They have a tricky trip to Osasuna but if they can win it would be five points, although Real Madrid must host Cadiz at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Real Madrid conceded three goals against Rayo for the first time in LaLiga Santander this season. Until then, they had not conceded more than one goal and only conceded three in the Champions League in the defeat to Leipzig.
Of the 20 games Real Madrid have played this season, Thibaut Courtois has kept just five clean sheets. They have conceded 13 goals so far this season to Barcelona‘s four, who have every chance of going into the World Cup break at the top of the table.
The feeling the champions are leaving is that they need to take a break and get back into the league after the World Cup with a new sensation.
What awaits after the World Cup is an unknown quantity for all the clubs, given that it will depend a lot on how their international players return, who will have to rest after Qatar.
