Madrid, February 01 (QNA) - Real Madrid defeated visiting Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday in the 22nd round of Spain's La Liga.

Vinicius Junior put Madrid ahead in the 15th minute before Jorge de Frutos equalized for the visitors in the 49th.

The home side secured the win after Rayo went down to 10 men following the dismissal of Pathe Ciss in the 80th minute, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the decisive goal in the 10th minute of stoppage time.

It was Madrid's 17th league victory of the season, lifting its tally to 54 points and keeping it second in the table, one point behind defending champion Barcelona, which beat Elche 3-1 on Saturday.

The win came days after Madrid's heavy 4-2 loss to Benfica in the Champions League, which cost the Spanish club a chance at direct qualification to the round of 16. Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, remained on 22 points in 17th place. (QNA)