Real Madrid edge Alaves 2-1 to end winless run

MADRID: Real Madrid secured a 2-1 home victory over struggling Alaves in LaLiga on Tuesday with goals ​from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr to end ‌a four-match winless run in all competitions.

The win moved second-placed Real to 73 points, six behind leaders Barcelona ahead of ​the Catalan side’s home fixture against Celta Vigo ​on Wednesday. For Alaves, the defeat leaves them ⁠17th, a solitary point above Elche in the final ​relegation spot.

Real dominated the opening stages as they sought to ​recover from a recent Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, while they had also failed to win their ​last two LaLiga outings.

Mbappe broke the deadlock after 30 ​minutes with a speculative low strike from outside the area. The ‌effort ⁠appeared comfortable for Alaves’ Antonio Sivera, but a heavy deflection off defender Jonny Otto wrong-footed the keeper, leaving him helpless as the ball trickled into the bottom ​corner.

Real maintained their ​dominance as ⁠Eder Militao struck the woodwork just before the interval while Vinicius Jr doubled the ​hosts’ lead five minutes after the restart ​with a ⁠precise low shot from distance into the far corner.

As the intensity faded, Alaves grew into the game and forced ⁠Real ​onto the back foot in ​the closing stages, with Toni Martinez pulling a goal back deep into ​stoppage time.