Real Madrid Edges Alaves 2–1 in La Liga Thriller
Real Madrid survived a late scare at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, edging Alaves 2–1 in a breathless La Liga contest that mixed brilliance with vulnerability. Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior provided the decisive cutting edge, but a stoppage-time strike from Toni Martínez exposed how fragile the hosts remained under pressure. In the end, Madrid’s superior quality in both boxes was just enough to secure a vital win in the title race.
The Story of the Match
Real Madrid started with intent, pinning Alaves back and probing patiently despite the visitors’ packed defensive line. The breakthrough came on 30 minutes when K. Mbappe finished clinically after a neat pass from A. Guler, rewarding Madrid’s territorial dominance. A. Tchouameni’s yellow card for tripping briefly broke the rhythm, and an injury-time change saw A. Rudiger replace Eder Militao, but Madrid still went into the interval 1–0 up and largely in control.
The key moment arrived shortly after the restart. On 50 minutes, Vinicius Junior doubled the lead, steering home from a precise F. Valverde assist to give Madrid what looked like a comfortable cushion. With the hosts two goals clear, Alvaro Arbeloa moved to manage legs and tempo, introducing B. Diaz for J. Bellingham and F. Mastantuono for A. Guler on 58 minutes, then E. Camavinga and D. Carvajal on 63 minutes. Those changes helped Madrid retain enough control of the ball, even as Alaves responded with a wave of their own substitutions to chase the game.
The final phase belonged to Alaves, who grew bolder and more direct as time ticked away. A. Perez was booked for holding on 90 minutes, but the visitors kept pushing and were finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when T. Martinez struck in the 90+3rd minute from an A. Guevara assist to set up a tense finale. Madrid, who had allowed Alaves too many looks despite their lead, ultimately held firm through the final seconds to protect the 2–1 scoreline and keep their title hopes firmly alive.
The Numbers
- xG (full-match totals): Real Madrid 1.63 vs 2.11 Alaves
- Possession (full-match totals): Real Madrid 62% vs 38% Alaves
- Shots on Target (full-match totals): Real Madrid 8 vs 5 Alaves
- Saves (full-match totals): Real Madrid 4 vs 5 Alaves
Table Impact
Real Madrid moves to 76 points, with their goals for rising to 69 and goals against to 31, slightly improving their goal difference to +38 and keeping the pressure on the top of La Liga. At home, they now have 40 goals for and 15 against, underlining the Bernabéu as a fortress despite the late wobble.
Alaves stays at 33 points, but their goals for increase to 37 and goals against to 50, worsening their goal difference to -13 and keeping them hovering dangerously close to the relegation battle. Away from home they now have 18 goals scored and 32 conceded, numbers that reflect both their attacking ambition and defensive frailty on the road.
Starting XIs
- Real Madrid: Andriy Lunin, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Dean Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Júnior
- Alaves: Antonio Sivera, Ángel Pérez, Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Victor Parada, Youssef Enriquez Lekhedim, Jon Guridi, Antonio Blanco, Denis Suarez, Toni Martínez, Lucas Boyé
