Wolves’ pre-season ended in a disappointing defeat as Rayo Vallecano earned a 1-0 win at the Molineux on Saturday, August 10. Gary O’Neil’s side, set to take on Arsenal at the Emirates a week later, conceded in the 14th minute.
Isi Palazón’s spectacular effort turned out to be the decisive moment of the match. Wolves, despite having a few glaring opportunities, failed to restore parity and their pre-season ended with a topsy-turvy form.
Wolves Player Ratings vs Rayo Vallecano
Goalkeepers
José Sá– 7.5/10: Sá could barely do anything for Palazón’s goal. The Portuguese veteran, though, pulled out several important saves to keep his side in the game
Defenders
Matt Doherty– 6.5/10: Had a mediocre outing in a game that lacked any real spark apart from the opening instances
Toti– 6.5/10: Had an opportunity to equalize which he failed to capitalize on
Yerson Mosquera– 6.5/10: Didn’t have too much to do throughout the game as Vallecano didn’t necessarily show any real danger apart from the solitary goal
Midfielders
Rayan Aït-Nouri– 7/10: Found himself in several promising attacking situations. Aït-Nouri, though, couldn’t come out with a decisive moment
Mario Lemina– 6.5/10: Didn’t have any notable contribution throughout the game and mostly coasted
Pablo Sarabia– 7.5/10: The former PSG attacker was one of the few Wolves players who looked threatening on the attacking front. Sarabia put up a valiant effort.
João Gomes– 7/10: Another Wolves player without any substantial impact in the middle of the park
Rodrigo Gomes– 7.5/10: Keeping up with the theme of Wolves’ pre-season, Gomes showed a few sparks of brilliance, especially at the start of the contest
Forwards
Hwang Hee-chan– 7/10: Was unexpectedly wasteful as he headed straight to the opposition custodian after being presented with a clear-cut opportunity
Jørgen Strand Larsen– 6.5/10: The Norwegian striker lacked the proper service. He was unlucky not to be found by Rodrigo Gomes at one instance
Substitutes
Tommy Doyle– 6/10
Jean Ricner Bellegarde– 6/10
Gonçalo Guedes– 6.5/10
Pedro Lima– 6/10
Nélson Semedo– N/A
Rayo Vallecano Player Ratings vs Wolves
Goalkeeper
Daniel Cárdenas– 7.5/10: While he didn’t need to do something extraordinary, Cárdenas was reliable when called into action
Defenders
Andrei Rațiu– 6.5/10: Didn’t have any eye-catching contributions but was a part of the defense that managed a clean sheet
Florian Lejeune– 6.5/10: Much like the remainder of the defense, kept a clean sheet and did nothing silly that cost his side
Abdul Mumin– 6.5/10: A stable display against a misfiring Wolves attack
Pep Chavarría– 7/10: Was intent on making things happen for his side when moving forward. Also did his best to fend off Rodrigo Gomes’ spark
Midfielders
Pathé Ciss– 6.5/10: Was reliable and didn’t let his team down in any defensive situation
Unai López– 6.5/10: Partnered well with Ciss to see off a win for his side
Adrian Embarba– 6.5/10: Didn’t produce any notable attacking spark during the game like his teammate Palazón did
Óscar Trejo– 7/10: Started as the number 10 and combined with Palazón on occasions
Isi Palazón– 8/10: Was the most eye-catching player on the pitch. Apart from his sumptuous strike, Palazón looked like a livewire on several attacking moves
Forwards
Randy Nteka– 6.5/10: Coasted through the game without any major contributions
Substitutes
Iván Balliu– 6/10
Alfonso Espino– 6/10
Pedro Diaz– 6/10
Jorge de Frutos– 6.5/10
Gerard Gumbau– N/A
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