Unfancied Rayo Vallecano defeated Real Valladolid 1-0 in La Liga on Friday, continuing their run for a spot in Europe. In the 71st minute, Álvaro Garcia controlled the ball and slashed it between the goalkeeper's legs after the Valladolid defence mishandled a cross from the right.

Rayo's league winning run reached a club record of nine games. It moved up to sixth place in the standings, four points ahead of Girona, who will play Saturday against Athletic Bilbao. Isi, a winger for Rayo, was optimistic about the team's prospects because the top six clubs were guaranteed a spot in Europe the next season. “We have to be realistic, we have 35 points and we can dream,” Isi said. “We’ve worked and we’ve fought to get where we are and I think we can do it. But that’s part of having an ambitious mentality.”