Real Madrid survives late drama

Real Madrid came dangerously close to dropping points on Tuesday evening in a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Deportivo Alavés. After an early opening goal and what seemed to be a comfortable lead, the match unexpectedly turned tense in the final moments. Despite the late pressure, a goal from Kylian Mbappé and a strong start allowed Los Blancos to escape with all three points.

Early lead and Mbappé's magic

Coming off a dominant 4-1 win against Espanyol just days earlier, Carlo Ancelotti fielded a strong lineup again, including Mbappé, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham. Real Madrid wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Lucas Vázquez opening the scoring just one minute into the match, giving the home crowd a reason to cheer early on.

Alavés struggled to find any rhythm and rarely threatened the Madrid defense. Right before halftime, Kylian Mbappé added to the lead with a moment of brilliance. Starting the play with a clever backheel, he finished the move calmly just seconds later, making it 2-0 at the break. Mbappé, who also scored in the previous match against Espanyol, continued his excellent form with this well-executed goal.

Comfortable lead turns into nervous finish

When Rodrygo made it 3-0 just three minutes after halftime, it looked like Real Madrid would cruise to an easy victory. However, the match took an unexpected turn in the final moments. In the 84th minute, Carlos Benavidez found the net for Alavés to reduce the deficit to 3-1. Just one minute later, Kike García stunned the Bernabéu with a second goal, suddenly making it 3-2.

What had seemed like a comfortable win for Madrid quickly turned into a tense finish as Alavés pushed for an unlikely equalizer. Real Madrid managed to hold on, narrowly escaping what could have been a frustrating evening.

Real Madrid temporarily closes the gap on Barcelona

With this win, Real Madrid moves within one point of league leaders FC Barcelona, sitting at 18 points compared to Barcelona’s 19. However, the Catalan side has a game in hand, and the two rivals are set to face off in their first El Clásico of the season on October 26. Real Madrid’s victory, while nervy, keeps them well in the title race as they continue to push their archrivals at the top of La Liga.