Real Madrid Survive Late Fightback From Alaves to Clinch Their Fourth Successive La Liga Win

Spanish giants Real Madrid maintain their impressive run of form with an impressive victory over Alaves. However, the mighty Los Blancos were given a scare, as Alaves managed to score two late goals to reduce the deficit to just one goal.

Despite Alaves’ incredible late response, Madrid managed to hold on to the win. This win has propelled Real to the second spot in La Liga standings on 17 points, one behind Barcelona, who have a game in hand and host Getafe later tonight. However, Real were made to work for their victory by Alaves. Los Blancos wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, with Vinicius Junior showcasing his class in the very first minute. He brilliantly controlled a long pass from Fede Valverde, danced past his defender, and whipped in a perfect low cross from the byline. Fullback and Real Madrid captain Lucas Vasquez was on hand to open the scoring.  

After enduring immense criticism for their lack of chemistry, Real’s star-studded attack looked threatening. cohesive and dangerous. Just 21 minutes in, a slick interplay between Vinicius and Jude Bellingham carved open Alavés’ defense. With only the goalkeeper to beat, Kylian Mbappé coolly slotted the ball into the net for what seemed to be Madrid's second. However, following a VAR check, the goal was overturned for offside. Los Blancos continued to dominate the proceedings, and in the 40th minute, they finally had a well-deserved second goal. Mbappé linked up beautifully with Bellingham with a clever one-two before cutting inside and placing a slick reverse finish into Antonio Sivera’s bottom right corner.  

Following the halftime break, Real Madrid continued to produce chances at will. Just three minutes after the restart, Rodrygo scored Los Blancos’ third of the night. The 23-year-old Brazilian capped off a rapid counter-attack by firing a low shot under the goalkeeper’s leg. With the game almost sealed, Carlo Ancelotti decided to take off players like Rodrygo, Valverde and Mbappe. However, Alaves weren’t going to go down without a fight. They pulled a goal back when captain Carlos Benavidez scored a screamer from almost 30 yards out in the 85th minute. Just a minute later, Kiko Garcia capitalized on some poor defending Jesus Vallejo, before smashing a fierce shot into the bottom left corner of Courtois’ goal.  

Despite this late fightback, Real held on to clinch their fourth successive win in La Liga. Following the thrilling victory, Real captain Lucas Vasquez spoke about his team’s performance on the night to Real Madrid TV. He said, “It's a shame that, with the performance that we were putting throughout the match it had to finish the way that it did. We were happy with the win because we played a great game until the 88th minute, when two lapses in concentration led to two goals and we had to suffer a bit more than we should have... We didn't deserve this ending, with the game we had played, but let's look on the bright side: we did a lot of things right."  

Also Read: Former Real Madrid and Manchester United Star Rafael Varane Contemplating on Hanging Up His Boots