Karim Benzema's late goal gives Madrid 1-0 win at Rayo, grows lead
The HinduLike so many times this season, when Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior click for Real Madrid, defenses crumble against the leader of the Spanish league. Benzema scored late from an assist by Vinícius to snatch Madrid a 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, helping to increase the gap over second-place Sevilla to nine points. Spain’s soccer federation said Saturday that six Spanish coaching staff -- including Lluís Cortés, coach of the Ukraine women’s national team -- and one player, Dnipro forward Marc Gual, have been successfully evacuated from Ukraine. BENZEMA'S WINNER Benzema and Vinícius finally unlocked Rayo’s defense in the 83rd minute when a passing exchange inside a packed area between the strike partners left the France striker clear to score the winner. READ | Played clear by Benzema’s short throughball, Vinícius generously squared the ball back to the heart of the area after having drawn goalkeeper Luka Zidane off his line.