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SportsBeñat San José's Rayo Vallecano debut ends in 2-1 preseason friendly loss to Hearts
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Rayo Vallecano's new project under coach Beñat San José began with a 2-1 defeat to Scottish side Heart of Midlothian in a preseason friendly at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh. Hearts striker Ba-Sy scored two first-half headers (18th and 34th minutes) to give the Scottish runners-up a commanding lead. Rayo Vallecano, who reached the Conference League final last season and recently lost coach Íñigo Pérez to Villarreal, fielded two different XIs in each half. Camello pulled one back for Rayo in the 60th minute with a deflected lob over goalkeeper Schwolow, but the Spanish side could not find an equalizer. Hearts also hit the crossbar and had a disallowed goal for offside. The match was played in front of approximately 16,000 spectators as part of Rayo's preseason preparations, with the competitive season starting in about a month.
Source report
Updated: 17/07/2026 - 23:30 CEST
The new project of Rayo Vallecano, under the guidance of Beñat San José, began this Friday with a 2-1 defeat, subdued by two headers from Ba-Sy. The greater match fitness and superior chances of Hearts, the Scottish runners-up, proved decisive in the first half.
Following last season's Conference League final and the departure of Íñigo Pérez to Villarreal, this match marks the start of a new era for the red-striped side. It was a first test, an initial run-out.
First Half: Hearts Dominate
The first chance fell to Rayo Vallecano, as a shot from Etienne Eto'o was repelled by goalkeeper Schwolow. However, the remainder of the first half belonged to Hearts. After the quarter-hour mark, following a couple of previous chances, they found the net against Dani Cárdenas. The cross came from McPake, the header from Ba-Sy. 1-0.
The lanky striker struck again with another emphatic header from a cross from the right flank, unreachable for the Rayo goalkeeper. 2-0. Khamson-Kamara smashed another shot against the crossbar before the interval.
Second Half: Changes and a Response
Braga could have made it 3-0 at the start of the second half, with wholesale changes for the red-striped side.
The first XI, consisting of Dani Cárdenas; Ivan Balliu, De las Sías, Pelayo, Jozhua; Becerra, Román, Pedro Díaz, Etienne Eto'o; Isi and Alemao, gave way to a second XI of Batalla; Andrei Ratiu, Lejeune, Lozano, Pep Chavarría; Óscar Valentín, Unai López; De Frutos, Camello, Fran Pérez; and Nteka.
An Unstoppable Lob
Camello responded with 2-1 on the hour mark: he controlled a ball on the edge of the area, shot with his left foot, and the final deflection off a defender turned the shot into an unstoppable lob for Schwolow, who had the ball sail over him with no chance of reaching it despite his immediate reaction.
The goal did not provide a boost for Rayo to equalize, and they breathed a sigh of relief when the referee disallowed a 3-1 goal for offside against their opponent. The Vallecas side need more match practice, more physical conditioning, and more sharpness. A matter of time in this preseason. The start of the competition is a month away. There is time.
Match Facts
Heart of Midlothian: Schwolow (Fulton, m. 62); Borchgrevink (Miller, m. 62), Kamson-Kamara (Fagan Walcott, m. 62), Findlay (McCart, m. 62), Kingsley (Kabore, m. 62); Kerjota, Mcentee (Mato, m. 46 (Spittal, m. 77)), Renaud (Guendouz, m. 46), McPake (Magnusson, m. 46); Braga (Altena, m. 62) and Ba-Sy (Dhanda, m. 46 (Kyziridis, m. 77)).
Rayo Vallecano: Cárdenas (Batalla, m. 46); Balliu (Ratiu, m. 46), De las Sías (Lejeune, m. 46), Pelayo (Lozano, m. 46), Jozhua (Pep Chavarría, m. 46); Becerra (De Frutos, m. 46), M. Román (Óscar Valentín, m. 46), Pedro Díaz (Unai López, m. 46), Eto'o (Fran Pérez, m. 46); Isi (Camello, m. 46); and Alemao (Nteka, m. 46).
Goals:
- 1-0, m. 18: Ba-Sy
- 2-0, m. 34: Ba-Sy
- 2-1, m. 60: Camello
Stadium: Friendly match, played at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh in front of approximately 16,000 spectators.
Source: EFE
Source
LALIGA EA Sports // marcaWestern
Part of this Story
Rayo Vallecano Loses 2-1 to Hearts in Preseason Friendly Under New Coach