Real Madrid overcame a late comeback attempt from Alavés to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory in La Liga action on Tuesday evening. The win moved Los Blancos within one point of league leaders Barcelona, who face Getafe on Wednesday.
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium witnessed an electric atmosphere as Carlo Ancelotti’s side looked to extend their unbeaten run in the league to 39 matches. Vinícius Júnior set the tone early, feeding Lucas Vázquez, who tapped in from close range just over a minute into the match to give Madrid the lead.
Kylian Mbappé, who has been in sensational form since joining Madrid, doubled the advantage in the 40th minute with a sublime finish. The French forward exchanged a one-two with Jude Bellingham before cutting inside and slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to extend his scoring streak to five straight matches.
Madrid looked set for an easy victory when Rodrygo Goes made it 3-0 just three minutes into the second half, firing a low shot under the goalkeeper’s legs after a quick counter-attack. However, Alavés refused to lie down and mounted a stirring comeback in the final minutes of the match.
Carlos Protesoni pulled one back for the visitors in the 85th minute with a curling shot from outside the box that beat Thibaut Courtois at his near post. Just a minute later, Kike García added a second for Alavés, capitalizing on poor defending to reduce the deficit to one goal.
The Bernabéu fell silent as Alavés threatened an unlikely equalizer, but Madrid’s defense held firm to secure the victory. “It’s a shame that, with the performance that we were putting throughout the match, it had to finish the way that it did,” captain Vázquez told Real Madrid TV after the match. “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.”
Mbappé’s goal was his seventh in nine matches for Madrid across all competitions and extended his lead as the team’s top scorer. However, the French forward had to be substituted in the 80th minute due to a muscle ailment, raising concerns among fans and pundits alike. “For Kylian, it was better to avoid problems,” Ancelotti said after the match, confirming that Mbappé would undergo tests to determine the extent of his injury.
Despite the late scare, Madrid moved to within one point of Barcelona at the top of the table. The Catalans host winless Getafe on Wednesday, providing Real Madrid with an opportunity to reclaim top spot with a victory over Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby on Sunday.
Ancelotti made no changes to his starting lineup from the weekend’s 4-1 win over Espanyol, with the exception of Dani Carvajal, who was rested due to fitness issues. Vázquez started at right-back, while teenage Brazil forward Endrick came on as a substitute in the 69th minute, making his earliest appearance off the bench.
The match also marked Ancelotti’s 300th game in charge of Real Madrid, a remarkable achievement that places him second only to Miguel Muñoz in the club’s all-time list of managers. However, the Italian tactician was not without his critics, as a section of the crowd whistled him during the pre-match announcements.