Rayo Vallecano came from behind to beat Real Madrid 3-2 on Monday with the champions suffering their first loss in La Liga this season.
The result left Barcelona two points clear at the top in the points table. Rayo took an early lead in a see-saw game before Real rallied to 2-1 ahead. Rayo equalised before half-time before sealing a famous win with a twice-taken penalty from Oscar Trejo in the 67th minute.
Barcelona are top on 34 points, two ahead of Real Madrid and ten ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid. Following their third consecutive win, Rayo climbed to eighth place, two points off the European qualification spots.
Since losing Ballon d'Or winning striker Karim Benzema to a thigh injury last month, Real have won only one of their last three games in all competitions.
On Monday evening, Real missed several chances in an end-to-end affair against Rayo who are one of the most prolific goalscoring teams in La Liga this season.
“It was a bad night,” Ancelotti said. “We didn’t play a good match.”
It was only Madrid’s second defeat in all competitions, after a loss at Leipzig in the group stage of the Champions League last month. Madrid won 15 of their first 19 games this season, with three draws.
“It hurts to lose but when you evaluate the first part of the season, we did well,” Ancelotti added. “We are in good position in the league and advanced in the Champions League, which was our main objective.
"I wasn't surprised because we all know how they play, they were better and more precise than us today and it's a well deserved win for them.
"We lost too many challenges. They were overwhelming. It doesn't matter if you have more quality if your rivals have more intensity than you. I think we started the season well but the team has felt the exhausting schedule ahead of the World Cup."
The result came as Liverpool were given chance to avenge last season's Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid after Jurgen Klopp's side were drawn on Monday to face the holders again in the last 16.
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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HOW TO WATCH
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Handicap | US$135,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres
7.05pm: Handicap | $135,000 (Turf) | 1,200m
7.40pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (T) | 2,000m
8.15pm: UAE Oaks | Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,900m
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile | Group 2 | $250,000 (T) | 1,600m
9.20pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
