Rayo Vallecano beat Albacete after 178-day delay as football returns in Spain following coronavirus shutdown

Peruvian Luis Advincula scored the winning goal for Rayo Vallecano against Albacete as football resumed in Spain on Wednesday
AFP via Getty Images
Ben Hayward10 June 2020

Luis Advincula scored the only goal as football returned in Spain on Wednesday night following a three-month absence.

Rayo Vallecano beat Albacete 1-0 in Madrid as the two teams contested the remaining 45 minutes of a match that was originally suspended back on December 15.

The second-tier fixture was called off at the interval before Christmas after Albacete’s former Rayo striker Roman Zozulya was subjected to chants by the home fans calling him a "Nazi".

Rayo had the better of the play against a conservative Albacete, playing with 10 men due to the dismissal of Eddy Israfilov in the first half of the original fixture, and Peru international Advincula struck the winner after an hour (15 minutes on the night) with a powerful drive.

Rayo coach Paco Jemez sported protective equipment on the sidelines at the Estadio de Vallecas
AFP via Getty Images

The rest of the game, which Zozulya started for Albacete, passed without incident in the absence of fans and was completed 178 days after it had started.

According to reports, that makes it the longest match in history, while it will also be remembered for being the first to take place after the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen all football suspended in Spain since mid-March.

Rayo paid tribute to the victims of Covid-19 with a huge banner at Vallecas which read: “We will never forget you”.

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