The defeat was due to the sanction of the Albanian right-back Ivan Balliu represents a significant setback for Vallecano Ray and for his coach Andoni Iraola, who will bet on Mario Hernández to replace him in the match against Girona.
Balliu picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Celta de Vigo the previous day and will miss the first game of the season, forcing Iraola to make a change at right-back for the first time so far in the league.
Balliu’s replacement will be his natural replacement, Mario Hernández, who, unlike the previous two seasons, has hardly had a leading role. So far he has only participated in five official matches, two of them in the League and both coming off the bench, accounting for a total of 38 minutes on the pitch.
The game against Girona is key for Rayo, who have gone five games without a win and in the last three they have failed to score a goal, a situation that has slowed them down in qualification and they hope to resolve soon.
The Madrid team added just three points from the last fifteen at stake, but despite a bad run of results, it remains seventh with 35 points, three behind the sixth place that gives access to Europe and nine above of relegation.
Source: La Verdad

I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.