Spanish champions Real Madrid survived a late scare in their La Liga Matchday 7 meeting with Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday night, September 24. The All-Whites conceded two late goals in rapid succession, leaving fans sweating in the final minutes of the game. Alaves pushed with all their might to score the equalizer, but ultimately fell short, succumbing to a 3-2 defeat. The victory was crucial for Madrid as it allowed them to move within a point of La Liga leaders Barcelona, albeit after playing a game more.
Real Madrid Gets in the Driving Seat in the First Half
Real Madrid enjoyed a blistering start to the game on Tuesday. Ballon d’Or frontrunner Vinicius Jr. expertly controlled a floated delivery from deep and dashed toward the by-line before pulling the ball back for Lucas Vazquez inside the box. The right-back, wearing the captain’s armband, applied a cool left-footed finish to send the ball into the back of the net. In the 23rd minute, Jude Bellingham played the ball to Vinicius Jr., who slipped Mbappe through on goal. The Frenchman applied a confident finish to ripple the netting. However, much to the dismay of the Bernabeu faithful, the linesman raised his flag for offside.
Mbappe hit the back of the net once more in the 40th minute, and that time, the goal stood. The former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward chopped the ball to Bellingham with his ankle, received the return inside the box, and finally, beat a Deportivo defender with the drop of his shoulder before rolling the ball beyond the goalkeeper. Los Blancos went into the break with a 2-0 advantage, and it looked game over for Alaves.
Deportivo Alaves Gives Madrid A Proper Scare in the Second Half
Real Madrid started the second 45 with vigor, going 3-0 up inside the opening three minutes. Latching onto Vazquez’s layoff down the right flank, Rodrygo went on a run before beating the goalkeeper from a tight angle. Having secured a healthy lead, Los Blancos took their foot off the pedal, which allowed Alaves to get into the game.
In the 77th minute, Alaves came agonizingly close to scoring their first goal, as Abderrahman Rebbach’s well-struck curler hit the outside of the Madrid post. Eight minutes later, Alaves got their goal, courtesy of a brilliant outside-the-box effort from Carlos Protesoni. Protesoni turned provider in the following minute, delivering a gem of a long ball into the box for Kike Garcia. The substitute then took care of the rest by applying an incredible finish from a tight angle. Carlo Ancelotti instructed his men to defend diligently for the final stretch of the game, and they found a way to keep Alaves from getting the equalizer.
On the back of the sketchy win, Real Madrid will travel to the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium on September 30, 2024, for the highly anticipated El Derbi Madrileno against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid.
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