LaLiga: Alavés Can't Capitalize on Man Advantage as Real Madrid Wins 1-0

Real Madrid secured a crucial 1-0 win over Alavés despite losing Kylian Mbappé to a red card in the first half and later having a man advantage nullified.

Despite losing star striker Kylian Mbappe to a red card in the first half, Real Madrid managed to secure a crucial 1-0 win over Deportivo Alavés at the Estadio Mendizorrotza. This victory marked the end of a three-match winless streak for Los Blancos and kept their LaLiga title hopes alive.

Alavés, ranked 17th, started the match aggressively, aiming to exploit Real Madrid's recent poor away form, which had seen them win only once in their last four road games. However, they struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. Real Madrid gradually gained momentum, with Rodrygo forcing a save from goalkeeper Jesus Owono after a strong run into the box. The subsequent corner was headed towards Raul Asencio, but he was denied a potential debut goal due to a foul on the goalkeeper by Antonio Rudiger.

Alavés continued to push forward, but struggled to capitalize on their chances, particularly Kike García, who wasted a promising opportunity to turn and shoot inside the box, sending the ball over the bar. As often happens when teams fail to finish their chances, they were punished in the 34th minute. Eduardo Camavinga combined well with Arda Güler before delivering a beautifully curled shot from over 20 yards, which sailed past goalkeeper Owono.

FT : #AlavesRealMadrid 0-1

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— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) April 13, 2025

The joy was short-lived for Real Madrid, as Kylian Mbappé's reckless challenge on Antonio Blanco earned him a straight red card just five minutes later, following a VAR review. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Madrid held firm after the break. Alavés, attempting to make their numerical advantage count, started the second half brightly, with Kike García heading wide and Carlos Vicente forcing a save from Thibaut Courtois. Despite these chances, Madrid's lead seemed secure as the match entered its final quarter.

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In a dramatic turn of events, Alavés' numerical advantage was short-lived. In the 70th minute, Vinicius Junior was fouled by Manu Sanchez, who was given a red card after a VAR review. This unexpected twist didn't seem to impact Real Madrid's defensive resolve, but they struggled to capitalize on their advantage, failing to create significant scoring opportunities until Jude Bellingham forced a spectacular save from Owono in the 89th minute.

Despite the late effort, Real Madrid had already done enough to secure the win and keep their title hopes alive, preventing further ground loss to league leaders Barcelona. For Alavés, there's a glimmer of hope from this display, as they remain in control of their own fate after suffering just their second loss in six LaLiga matches.