Real Madrid edge Alaves 2-1 to end winless run
- Real dominated the opening stages as they sought to recover from a recent Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich
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.