Real Madrid beats Alavés and closes the gap on Barcelona
French star receives red card for the first time since 2019 for a very hard challenge on Blanco’s calf and will be out of the team for the final stretch of LaLiga
VICTORY WITH EMOTION
Real Madrid beat Alavés 1-0 on Sunday in the 31st round of LaLiga. In the first half alone, Real had a goal disallowed, Camavinga scored the only goal of the game, and Mbappé was sent off for a hard challenge on Blanco’s calf – his first red card since 2019. The home side also went down to ten men after the break when Manu Sánchez left the match for a hard foul on Vini Jr. The match marked the return of Ceballos, who had been out since February due to a muscle injury. The victory at the Mendizorrotza stadium closes Real’s gap to leaders Barcelona to four points and keeps Ancelotti’s team in the title race.
LOST HIS HEAD
Mbappé left the match against Alvés in the 38th minute of the first half, when Real Madrid were already winning the game. The forward made a hard tackle on Blanco’s calf and received a yellow card. The referee reviewed the incident using VAR and decided to send off the player, who had not received a red card since April 2019, when he was still playing for Paris Saint-Germain. In the final stretch of LaLiga, the forward will not be able to face Athletic Bilbao in the next round and may even be suspended for a longer period, if the organization deems the foul unfair.
TIGHT TABLE
Sunday’s result leaves Real Madrid with 66 points in second place, just behind first-placed Barcelona, who have 70 points. Check out the full LaLiga table by clicking here! Alavés continues to be in a difficult situation and has now accumulated 15 defeats. Eduardo Coudet’s club is in 17th place, the first position outside the relegation zone, and has 30 points.
HOW WAS THE GAME?
Despite struggling to avoid relegation in La Liga, Alavés played on equal terms against Real Madrid. Former Internacional coach Eduardo Coudet’s team pressured the visitors in attack and held their ground well in defence , so much so that Real struggled to create chances in the first half. Ancelotti’s team found the net from a set piece in the 18th minute, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper. From a corner kick, Owono was brought down by Rüdiger before Asencio could head the ball in.
At 32, Arda Güler passed to Camavinga, who scored and opened the scoring at the edge of the penalty area. Mbappé was sent off six minutes later for a rough tackle on Blanco. Right at the start of the second half, Real’s numerical inferiority was erased with the sending off of Manu Sanchéz for a rough tackle on Vini Jr.’s leg. The substitutions gave the game a different rhythm, with better chances for Real, but still without much control.
