Rayo Vallecano fight back to earn dramatic 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad in LaLiga clash
Each teams cup adventures had overshadowed their domestic league efforts this term with the UEFA Conference League semi finalists welcoming the fresh Copa del Rey champions.
That recent trophy for La Real had already guaranteed them a spot in the Europa League for the upcoming campaign but Pellegrino Matarazzos outfit showed plenty of drive following an encouraging beginning to the game.
Ander Barrenetxea created an opening for himself early on by dribbling into the Rayo penalty area where his attempt was pushed away by Dani Cardenas.
More chances followed for Duje Caleta Car and Takefuso Kubo during an energetic first quarter hour.
The away team finally opened the scoring through a flash of brilliance from Mikel Oyarzabal who collected Barrenetxeas pass and elegantly sidestepped multiple Vallecano defenders before slotting the ball precisely into the far corner.
The home side appeared to hit back straight away as Carlos Martin tapped in from near the goal line but Andrei Ratiu was flagged for handling the ball in the lead up which saved the away side from conceding.
However they did manage a superbly constructed leveller soon enough with Sergio Camello demonstrating excellent ball control to weave through the Sociedad backline and unleash a left footed strike beyond Alex Remiro.
Camello missed a prime chance to give Rayo the lead just after the break but La Real seemed more poised to extend their edge as the period progressed.
Cardenas had to make two key saves to stop Oyarzabal and Orri Oskarsson before the Icelandic forward restored La Reals advantage by getting on the scoresheet.
Sergio Gomez set up the Iceland international who controlled the ball inside the area before coolly beating Cardenas at the conclusion of a slick Sociedad counter.
Rayo thought they had levelled once more when Pedro Diaz delicately placed the ball past Remiro but the effort was ruled out after an extended VAR check which concluded that Ratiu had committed a foul on Pablo Marin prior to the Rayo opportunity.
Oyarzabal converted the resulting spot kick with power sending the ball crashing into the top of the net as the furious Los Franjirrojos supporters looked on.
The match built towards an exciting end as Florian Lejeune nodded in from close proximity to reduce the arrears with Alemao then powering a header home from a similar position right at the death to secure a point for the home team.
This outcome prolongs Sociedad's poor form in LaLiga encounters against them to six games without a victory. Furthermore La Real have triumphed in just one of their last five league outings. On the other hand Inigo Perez's team can take some comfort from that final burst of joy widening their buffer from the relegation zone to five points.