After going a painful ten games without a win, Rayo Vallecano earned a much needed 1-0 victory over Eibar at the Estadio Vallecas on Friday night courtesy of a well-taken goal from captain Adri Embarba.
Coach Michel had warned pre-match that his Rayo side had to be aggressive with and without the ball but it was the away team who looked like they wanted it more and dominated the game from the start.
The Madrid outfit tried to play out from the back but were suffocated by Eibar's high press and despite causing many problems for the home side, the Basques were unable to capitalise.
Rayo's real moment of quality came in the 53rd minute when Alex Moreno sprinted down the left flank and delivered an enticing ball into the near post, where the unlikeliest of heroes, Embarba, beat his man to finish from an acute angle.
The captain has been far from his best this season, however, no-one can question his effort and commitment.
Having let a deserved three points slip through their fingertips on many an occasion in their wretched run, Rayo were second best on Friday night.
Yet, they won't mind.
It wasn't pretty, but the taste of victory was just what they needed.