Rayo Vallecano coach Francisco hailed the debut of Andrei Ratiu against Real Madrid.
The Romania fullback was making his Primera debut and kept Vini Jr quiet for Sunday's 0-0 draw.
Francisco later said: "His game was outstanding.
"We knew that we had to trust in his defensive duels with Vinicius and that was the case. We knew him from his time in Huesca and that is why he is at Rayo. The trust is maximum in him, but we have an important player like Balliu.
"He has been top 10 and it is the result of his day-to-day effort, which has made him ready."