González sees red and Leganes miss late penalty in 1-0 home loss to Rayo Vallecano

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MADRID (AP) — A first-half red card for captain Sergio González proved decisive for Leganes as its recent good run ground to a halt in 1-0 home loss to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Friday.

Leganes had not lost since before Christmas in a five-game run that included a win at home over Atletico Madrid and a point away at Athletic Bilbao.

But it was on the back foot for much of the first half and its fortunes were hit seconds before halftime when González pulled down Nteka on the edge of the box and was shown a straight red.

The big center back has one of the best disciplinary records in La Liga this season, with only two yellow cards in 24 games, and the award was harsh.

It allowed Rayo to push further forward in the second half and the winner came 13 minutes from time through Pathé Ciss.

The Senegal international needed two attempts to score in a goalmouth scramble but he hit the target and Rayo extended its unbeaten league run to eight matches.

There was last-minute drama when the referee awarded a penalty to Leganes but although Valentin Rosier followed up to score after Augusto Batalla saved from Miguel de la Fuente, the referee demanded the kick be retaken.

Hero Batalla saved again to guarantee all three points for Rayo and lift it into sixth. Leganes was 16th.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer