Error-prone Real Madrid held 3-3 by Rayo Vallecano in La Liga

Rayo Vallecano prevented Real Madrid from taking provisional control of La Liga by holding the European champions' to a pulsating 3-3 draw on Saturday.

- Agencies

MADRID:

Real turned up at their city rivals after a hard-fought 3-2 away win at Atalanta in the Champions League in midweek. Kylian Mbappé netted his 50th goal in the competition to open the scoring in Italy only to come off with a thigh injury which left the French star out of Carlo Ancelotti's calculations for this Saturday night away date in the Spanish capital.

Rayo Vallecano, on the back of a win last time out, stunned the visiting giants when Unai López headed in Jorge de Frutos's pin-perfect cross with the game only four minutes old.

Rayo went for the kill at a raucous Estadio de Vallecas, only for de Frutos's shot to fly over the bar.