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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 era under coach Beñat San José began with a 2-1 preseason friendly defeat to Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh. Hearts striker Ba-Sy scored two first-half headers (18th and 34th minutes) from crosses by McPake and a right-flank delivery, giving the Scottish side a commanding lead. Rayo's best first-half chance came from Etienne Eto'o, saved by goalkeeper Schwolow. After halftime, Rayo made ten substitutions, and Camello pulled one back in the 60th minute with a deflected lob over Schwolow. However, Rayo could not equalize, and a disallowed Hearts goal for offside spared them further damage. The match highlighted Rayo's need for more match fitness and sharpness ahead of the new La Liga season, which starts in about a month. Hearts, last season's Scottish runners-up, showed superior conditioning.
Source report
Updated: 17/07/2026 - 23:30 CEST
The new project of Rayo Vallecano, with Beñat San José in charge, began this Friday with a defeat, beaten 2-1 by two headers from Ba-Sy. The greater match fitness and better chances of Hearts, the Scottish runners-up, made the difference in the first half of the match.
After last season's Conference League final and the departure of Íñigo Pérez to Villarreal, this is the start of a new era for the red-striped side. Just a first test, an initial run-out.
First Half
The first chance fell to Rayo Vallecano. The shot from Etienne Eto'o was repelled by a saving stop from goalkeeper Schwolow. The rest of the first half belonged to Hearts, who, after the quarter-hour mark, following a couple of previous chances, found the net against Dani Cárdenas. The cross came from McPake, the header from Ba-Sy. 1-0.
The lanky striker went even further with another powerful 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
Braga could have made it 3-0 at the start of the second half, with wholesale changes in the red-striped side.
The first XI, made up 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 consisting 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 touch off a defender turned the shot into an unstoppable lob for Schwolow, as the ball sailed over him, leaving him no chance to reach 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 Details
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 around 16,000 spectators.
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Source
LALIGA EA Sports // marcaWestern
Part of this Story
Rayo Vallecano Loses 2-1 to Hearts in Preseason Friendly Under New Coach