In a thrilling La Liga match-up on January 31, 2024, Atletico Madrid managed to edge past Rayo Vallecano with a narrow 2-1 victory at home. Statistics and performance analysis indicate a few key variables that resulted in the final outcome.

It's worth examining the timeline of the goals. Atletico opened the scoring remarkably early, at 35:06 minutes, but the lead was short-lived as Rayo equalized seven minutes later. The deciding goal for Atletico came late in the second half, at 91:46 minutes, indicating their persistence and endurance. This scoring pattern may suggest an aggressive style of play from Atletico, aiming to unsettle opponents early, and a strong determination to persist till the last whistle.

One statistic that immediately stands out is the offside counts. Atletico was caught offsides no less than seven times as opposed to Rayo who had no offsides. This suggests Atletico's eagerness to explore their attacking line's speed looking for breakaway goals, despite the risk of being caught in Rayo's offside trap. Rayo, on the other hand, seems to have paid more attention to structured build-ups and maintaining their defensive line.

Another interesting point is the discipline, or rather the lack of it, on Rayo's part. The three yellow cards against Rayo, and none against Atletico, suggest that they relied on a more physical approach in an attempt to disrupt Atletico's flow. A physical game that resulted in several fouls, with thirteen committed by Rayo and ten by Atletico.

The corner kicks equation was slightly tilted in favour of Rayo Vallecano, with a count of six against Atletico’s five. This, coupled with the fact that both goals were scored in open play, indicates that the team’s ability to influence the game from set pieces was relatively limited that particular evening.

In conclusion, the game was largely defined by a mix of offensive ingenuity by Atletico Madrid and defensive discipline by Rayo Vallecano. Rayo's failure to capitalise on Atletico’s offsides coupled with their own inability to maintain discipline potentially played a significant role in Atletico’s victory. The match presented a powerful display of tenacity from Atletico as they managed to capitalise in the dying moments of the match, reaffirming the old idiom – ‘It's not over until it's over’.

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