Real Madrid

Real Madrid Stars Shine in Heart-Stopping Victory Over Alaves as Alonso Escapes the Axe

In what appeared to be a crucial encounter for Xabi Alonso, the Spanish manager guided Real Madrid to an essential 2–1 triumph against Alavés.

Following the loss of points in six of their previous eight fixtures, the Spanish powerhouse faced immense pressure to perform at the Mendizorroza Stadium or risk losing ground in the La Liga championship race. For Alonso, this represented potentially one of his final opportunities to demonstrate his capability of leading the world's most prestigious club.

A recently fit Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock for Real Madrid, but their team's failure to maintain a clean sheet returned to trouble them in the second period when Carlos Vicente secured an equalizer in the 69th minute.

Just as it appeared the 15-time European champions would again depart without maximum points, Rodrygo struck a decisive winner, assisted by Vinicius Junior, in the 76th minute.

Los Blancos remain four points behind Barcelona in the La Liga table, but will feel relieved to resume their winning form.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Alavés (4-4-2)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.2: A composed display for the Belgian who encountered only two shots on target.

RB: Federico Valverde—7.7: Utilized his speed and right foot to generate several opportunities from the right wing, though he found it difficult to connect with Rodrygo.

CB: Raúl Asencio—7.3: Neutralized Lucas Boyé effectively in another solid, comprehensive display.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.2: Was caught out on Alavés' leveler. Left Carlos Vicente onside and then displayed insufficient pace to match the attacker.

LB: Víctor Valdepeñas—7.4: Cautious in attack, where he primarily opted for backward passes. Nevertheless defended robustly in his first appearance.

RM: Rodrygo—8.1: Found it challenging to penetrate Alavés' compact defense until he sparked to life in the final stages to score his first league goal since January.

CM: Arda Güler—7.2: Provided excellent distribution, though still discovering his role alongside Bellingham on the field.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—6.9: Suffered from several questionable referee decisions, but otherwise performed well-timed tackles throughout the evening. Also stepped in as an additional center back when needed.

LM: Jude Bellingham—8.5: Employed his awareness and precise passing to pull Real Madrid to victory. Again compelled to retreat and compensate for his teammates excessively.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.1: Appeared as though he hadn't lost any sharpness in his comeback from injury. A constant scoring threat whenever he received the ball in space.

ST: Vinicius Junior—7.0: Surrendered the left flank to Mbappé for most of the contest and remained largely quiet until one brilliant moment created the winner for Los Blancos.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Gonzalo García (78' for Güler)	6.0
Dean Huijsen (78' for Valdepeñas)	6.3
Brahim Díaz (83' for Rodrygo)	N/A
Franco Mastantuono (83' for Vinicius Jr)	N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Joan Martínez, Dani Ceballos, Jorge Cestero, Thiago Pitarch.

Alavés (4-1-4-1)

Starting XI: Antonio Sivera; Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco, Víctor Parada; Antonio Blanco; Calebe, Pablo Ibáñez, Denis Suárez, Abde Rebbach; Lucas Boyé.

Subs used: Toni Martínez, Carles Aleñá, Carlos Vicente, Ander Guevara, Youssef Enríquez.

Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham

Alavés 1–2 Real Madrid—How It Developed at the Mendizorroza Stadium

Los Blancos were blessed to have Mbappé return from injury on Sunday evening and the Frenchman made his impact known from the first whistle, unleashing two threatening attempts in the opening eight minutes in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Beyond the early opportunities, however, the visitors again appeared sluggish in their build-up play, retaining possession without genuine purpose in the attacking third. Alavés experienced little difficulty defending against Real Madrid's predictable passing, contentedly sitting deep as they awaited their chance to counter.

Yet it was Alonso's squad that burst into action on the break just before the thirty-minute mark. From deep within his own territory, Jude Bellingham delivered a perfectly timed pass to locate Mbappé making a sharp run along the left side. The France striker then advanced to the edge of the penalty area, where he powered home the match's first goal.

Just three minutes afterward, Arda Güler delivered an excellent cross from the corner that reached Bellingham, who finished from close range. However, the goal was instantly ruled out for striking the midfielder's arm.

Holding a 1–0 advantage, Real Madrid emerged from halftime in complete command of the match. Yet like numerous occasions this season, the Spanish giants posed no danger of scoring. It became progressively evident as the game progressed that only another individual moment of brilliance would put Alonso's team on the scoresheet.

Alavés, meanwhile, were hoping for an error to get themselves back into contention, and Antonio Rüdiger obliged in the 69th minute. The German defender was caught completely off guard by a superb ball over the defense that released Carlos Vicente through on goal.

The striker beat Thibaut Courtois with a right-footed effort, while Rüdiger desperately chased behind him. Alonso was clearly devastated on the sideline at the equalizer before he was celebrating wildly seven minutes later.

Vinicius Junior, who had been largely anonymous throughout the evening, outpaced Jonny Otto down the left wing with a scorching run that concluded with a cross across the goalmouth to his compatriot Rodrygo. The Brazilian calmly converted his first league goal in almost 12 months to restore Real Madrid's lead.

Alonso's side saw out the match, securing three points in La Liga for only the second time in their previous six league encounters.