Benzema's late goal gives Madrid 1-0 win at Rayo, grows lead

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Karim Benzema scored late to snatch Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano and extend its lead of the Spanish league on Saturday.

Benzema and Vinícius Júnior finally unlocked Rayo’s defense in the 83rd minute when a passing exchange inside a packed area between the strike partners left the France striker clear to score the winner.

It was Benzema’s league-leading 19th goal. He has scored 26 goals in 31 games across all competitions for his club this campaign.

The victory lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s side nine points clear of second-place Sevilla.

Sevilla faces an always tough derby with third-place Real Betis on Sunday, just six weeks after their Copa del Rey clash was marred by a Betis fan hitting a Sevilla player in the head with a piece of PVC.

On Thursday, Rayo visits Betis aiming to overturn a 2-1 loss in the return leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal. Madrid, meanwhile, will play Real Sociedad next weekend before it hosts Paris Saint-Germain on March 9 needing to come back from a 1-0 defeat in their Champions League round-of-16 tie.

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