Rayo started the game on the front foot, with Unai Lopez registering the first shot on target of the contest inside five minutes, but his effort from distance was well held by Drita goalkeeper Laurit Behluli.
As the first half progressed, though, the hosts were finding it very difficult to convert their dominance of possession into clear-cut chances, so they will have been relieved when centre-back Florian Lejeune put them in front on 33 minutes with an absolute thunderbolt from at least 25 yards out after receiving the ball in space.
With Rayo’s confidence high, Lopez just missed the target when trying to lob Behluli from near the halfway line, although home manager Inigo Perez no doubt headed into half-time satisfied enough with his side’s work.
Despite a difficult first 45 minutes for Drita, they were still just about on course to qualify for the play-offs as one of the eight unseeded teams, and while they still struggled to keep hold of possession for long spells at the start of the second period, they did test Rayo stopper Augusto Batalla for the first time through Arb Manaj.
The match livened up shortly after the hour mark when Egzon Bejtullai’s backpass to Behluli was penalised, with an eight-man wall assembling alongside Drita’s goalkeeper.
Slightly embarrassingly, however, there was still a gap for Gerard Gumbau - on his 31st birthday - to find the net with aplomb from the resulting indirect free-kick.
Lejeune could have doubled his tally for the night when his free-kick was spilt by Behluli, but the points were well and truly sealed late on when substitute Pacha went on a mazy run and slotted home.
Despite the disappointing result for Drita, they have become the first Kosovan side to progress from the group stage/league phase of a major UEFA competition, while Rayo’s second-ever European campaign promises plenty heading into 2026.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Florian Lejeune (Rayo Vallecano)