Alavés 0-1 Real Madrid: Gray victory for the Whites in Vitoria to stay alive in LaLiga

Real Madrid still doesn't give up in the fight for the League title. On Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti's team defeated Alavés in Vitoria (0-1) thanks to a great goal by Eduardo Camavinga in the 34th minute. With the victory, the 'merengues' are once again 4 points behind FC Barcelona, with seven matchdays to play, including the Clásico in Montjuïc on the second weekend of May.

Madrid struggled to shake off Alavés' high pressure in the first 15 minutes. Eduardo Coudet's team warned with a high shot from Kike García, while the visitors only appeared in the rival area in an action in which Arda Güler claimed a penalty from goalkeeper Owono after a one-on-one wasted by the Turk. Gil Manzano, from VAR, considered that there was nothing to sanction.

Madrid went into halftime with an advantage, despite Mbappé

In the 19th minute, Madrid opened the scoring with a goal from Raúl Asencio after a corner in favor, but everything was canceled due to a previous foul by Antonio Rüdiger on Owono. The German prevented the goalkeeper from jumping in search of the ball and, finally, the VAR confirmed the infraction. About half an hour into the match, the locals once again disturbed the rival area, with Kike García as the main offensive card.

When the Vitoria team seemed to be at their best in the match, the scoring was opened after a great goal by Eduardo Camavinga in the 34th minute. After a good collective 'merengue' action, the Frenchman received from Fede Valverde at the edge of the area, surprising the 'babazorra' defense with a placed left-footed shot, unstoppable for Owono. The joy of the goal, however, would not last long for those now led by Davide Ancelotti.

In the 38th minute, César Soto Grado sent off Kylian Mbappé, after the VAR call, for a chilling tackle on Antonio Blanco. The '9' lost his head when disputing a divided ball in which, in addition to being late, he went with his studs directly to hit his rival. An action that could have caused a serious injury to the '8' of Alavés and that, now, opens the debate on how many suspension matches the Bondy player will receive.

The Whites felt the departure of their scorer and, in injury time, Asencio saved a one-on-one from Carlos Martín with a providential cut, clearing a filtered pass from Antonio Blanco. Despite the numerical inferiority, Madrid did not make any changes at halftime. Nor did the locals, although Coudet did not take long to tweak his XI in the second half.

Manu Sánchez's expulsion gave Madrid peace of mind in the second half

Alavés took control of possession in the first quarter of an hour of the second half, but lacked the depth to reach the 'merengue' area with danger. Two long-range shots from Carlos Martín and Toni Fernández were the only highlights of the 'babazorro' attack, before Madrid used the bench to try to sustain the result.

Vinicius and Jude Bellingham entered for Rodrygo and Arda Güler, respectively. Five minutes after his entry, 'Vini' provoked the expulsion of Manu Sánchez for a hard foul to cut a dangerous counterattack from the visitors. Soto Grado had not seen the action, but the VAR called him and, after reviewing it on the monitor, decided to expel the Alavés full-back.

Already with the teams in numerical equality, the Whites regained control and were close to extending the lead, with a long-range shot from Valverde and a one-on-one wasted by Bellingham after a good narrowing by Owono. Alavés lacked ideas to take advantage of the minutes with one more man on the field and, in the final stretch, they felt the physical wear and tear. In the next matchday, Real will receive Athletic, while the 'blanquiazules' will travel to Seville.

Match sheet of the match: Alavés 0-1 Real Madrid

• Alavés, 0: Owono; Tenaglia, Mouriño, Abqar (Diarrá, min. 75), Manu Sánchez; Jordán (Guevara, min. 75), Blanco (Benavides, min. 83); Vicente, Aleñá (Cabanes, min. 83), Martín (Toni Martínez, min. 60); Kike García.
• Real Madrid, 1: Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Asencio, Rüdiger, Fran García (Brahim, min. 77); Valverde (Ceballos, min. 90+2), Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Arda Güler (Bellingham, min. 62), Rodrygo (Vinicius, min. 62) and Mbappé.
• Goals: 0-1, Eduardo Camavinga (min. 34).
• Referee: César Soto Grado. He cautioned Joan Jordán, Nahuel Tenaglia and Carlos Martín for Alavés. In Real Madrid, he sent off Kylian Mbappé in the first half. He also sent off Manuel Sánchez with a straight red card in the second half. For Madrid, Eduardo Camavinga, Lucas Vázquez, Vinicius and Thibaut Courtois were cautioned.
• Stadium: Mendizorroza.
• Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 31 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25