Real Madrid were held to a very frustrating 3-3 draw on Saturday, as Rayo Vallecano managed to hold off late pressure to secure a valuable point – despite having been 2-0 up at one stage in the first half.
For Carlo Ancelotti’s side, it is a damaging blow because they have now given up the advantage that they had over Barcelona. Furthermore, there is also an effect going into next weekend’s final La Liga match before the winter break, as they will be without the services of Vinicius Junior.
Vinicius did not start at Vallecas, but he did come on as a second half substitute. During his cameo, he was yellow carded for dissent, and as per [MD](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/real-madrid/20241214/1002371407/vinicius-baja-sancion-sevilla-agresiva-protesta-martinez-munuera.html), that has meant that he has triggered an automatic one-match suspension, which will be services at the Santiago Bernabeu next Sunday.
It’s a big blow for [Real Madrid](https://www.football-espana.net/category/la-liga/real-madrid) to be without Vinicius, although a silver lining is that Kylian Mbappe should be back from injury in time for that match against Sevilla.