Rayo Vallecano thrash second-string Atletico Madrid 3-0 in near-empty relocated LaLiga clash

Fran Perez, Oscar Valentin and Nobel Mendy fired Rayo Vallecano to a 3-0 win over an understrength Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a LaLiga match overshadowed by protests against Rayo owner Raul Martin Presa.

With Atletico's focus on Wednesday's Champions League knockout playoff at Club Brugge, Diego Simeone selected a weakened side and paid the price, with Perez and Valentin netting before the break and Mendy wrapping up the scoring in the second half.

The result was in stark contrast to Atletico's display on Thursday, when they beat Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

For Rayo, the victory provides breathing space in their battle near the bottom. They are 16th in LaLiga with 25 points, while Atletico remain fourth on 45 points, 15 behind leaders Barcelona.

Played in front of swathes of empty seats at Leganes' Butarque stadium, the fixture was relocated after LaLiga ruled Rayo's pitch at Vallecas unplayable.

The sparse crowd made plenty of noise nonetheless, directing their anger at Presa throughout.

Spanish police had barred Rayo from selling tickets for security reasons, limiting access to 14,000 season-ticket holders.

The club's ultras group, Los Bukaneros, urged fans to boycott the game, yet a little over 5,000 supporters showed up. They gathered outside with banners and songs aimed at the club's owner and continued their protests inside.

After each goal, rather than celebrate, fans chanted "Presa: leave now!" in unison.

'UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS'

Tensions between supporters and Presa have simmered for years but escalated earlier this month when Rayo's players and staff publicly criticised the club's management for "unacceptable conditions" including unusable pitches and cold showers.

In a joint statement issued in collaboration with the AFE footballers' union, the squad complained of "obsolete infrastructure" at both the Estadio de Vallecas and the training ground, which they said had been unusable for months in pre-season.

They described "deficient conditions, worsening as the season progressed" at their home ground, along with "a lack of hot water in the showers on certain days" and inadequate cleaning, adding they had repeatedly raised concerns to little effect with Presa, who has not commented publicly on the complaints.

LaLiga postponed Rayo's home match against Real Oviedo last weekend due to an unplayable surface, citing heavy rainfall and a poor pitch that thwarted efforts to restore recently replaced turf.

With conditions failing to improve, Sunday's match was moved to Butarque as second-tier Leganes were away to Cordoba.

Rayo declined to comment on the issues, saying they would limit themselves to reposting LaLiga's official statements on their website.

On the pitch, Perez opened the scoring in the 40th minute with a first-time finish from close range.

Four minutes later his fierce strike from the edge of the box drew a fine save from Jan Oblak only for the rebound to fall kindly to Valentin, who blasted into the empty net.

Rayo remained in control after the break against a subdued Atletico and extended their lead from a corner, Mendy rising highest to power a header past Oblak.

As the hosts toyed with their opponents, chants of "Ole!" rang around Butarque while players exchanged passes against a side that looked resigned to defeat.

(Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Toby Davis)