In what was likely a make-or-break match for Xabi Alonso, the Spanish boss led Real Madrid to a much-needed 2–1 victory over Alavés.
After dropping points in six of their last eight matches, the pressure was on the Spanish giants to deliver at the Mendizorroza Stadium or risk falling out of the La Liga title race. For Alonso, it was possibly one of his last chances to prove he is capable of managing the biggest club in the world.
A recently recovered Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for Real Madrid, but his team’s inability to keep a clean sheet came back to haunt them in the second half when Carlos Vicente bagged an equalizer in the 69th minute.
Just when it looked like the 15-time European champions would once again go home without three points, Rodrygo buried an emphatic winner, created by Vinicius Junior, in the 76th minute.
Los Blancos still trail Barcelona by four points in the La Liga standings, but will be relieved to return to winning ways.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Alavés (4-4-2)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.2: A calm outing for the Belgian who faced just two shots on target.
RB: Federico Valverde—7.6: Used his pace and right foot to create a handful of chances from the right flank, though he struggled to link up with Rodrygo.
CB: Raúl Asencio—7.3: Kept Lucas Boyé quiet in another consistent, all-around performance.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.2: Got burned on Alavés’ equalizer. Kept Carlos Vicente onside and then showed zero pace to keep up with the forward.
LB: Víctor Valdepeñas—7.4: Hesitant going forward, where he spent most of his time only passing backward. Yet defended strongly in his debut.
RM: Rodrygo—8.1: Struggled to break down Alavés’ low block until he came alive in the dying stages to bag his first league goal since January.
CM: Arda Güler—7.2: Delivered expert service, though still finding his identity with Bellingham on the pitch.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.0: Fell victim to a few poor calls by the referee, but otherwise executed well-timed challenges all night long. Even filled in as an extra center back at times.
LM: Jude Bellingham—8.6: Used his vision and clinical passing to drag Real Madrid to victory. Once again forced to track back and cover for his teammates far too many times.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.0: Looked like he hadn’t missed a step in his return from injury. A threat to score every time he got on the ball in space.
ST: Vinicius Junior—7.1: Forfeited the left wing to Mbappé for most of the match and was virtually a spectator until one moment of brilliance set up the winner for Los Blancos.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Gonzalo García (78’ for Güler) | 6.0 |
| Dean Huijsen (78’ for Valdepeñas) | 6.3 |
| Brahim Díaz (83’ for Rodrygo) | N/A |
| Franco Mastantuono (83’ for Vinicius Jr) | N/A |
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Joan Martínez, Dani Ceballos, Jorge Cestero, Thiago Pitarch.
Alavés (4-1-4-1)
Starting XI: Antonio Sivera; Jonny Otto, Nahuel Tenaglia, Jon Pacheco, Víctor Parada; Antonio Blanco; Calebe, Pablo Ibáñez, Denis Suárez, Abde Rebbach; Lucas Boyé.
Subs used: Toni Martínez, Carles Aleñá, Carlos Vicente, Ander Guevara, Youssef Enríquez.
Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham
Alavés 1–2 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at the Mendizorroza Stadium
Los Blancos were fortunate to welcome Mbappé back from injury on Sunday evening and the Frenchman made his presence felt from the opening whistle, firing two dangerous shots in the first eight minutes in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Beyond the early chances, though, the visitors once again looked static in the build-up, maintaining possession with no real intent in the final third. Alavés had little trouble defending against the unimaginative passes of Real Madrid, happily sitting back as they waited to strike on the counter attack.
Yet it was Alonso’s men that sprung to life in transition just before the half-hour mark. From deep in his own half, Jude Bellingham played a perfectly weighted ball to find Mbappé making a darting run down the left flank. The France international then drove to the top of the 18-yard box, where he hammered home the game’s opening goal.
Just three minutes later, Arda Güler whipped in a great ball from the corner flag that found Bellingham, who buried a close-range finish. Except the goal was immediately disallowed for hitting the midfielder’s arm.
With a 1–0 lead, Real Madrid came out of the tunnel in full control of the game. Yet like so many other times this season, the Spanish giants looked no threat to score. It became increasingly clear as the game went on that only another individual moment of magic would get Alonso’s men on the scoresheet.
Alavés, meanwhile, were praying for a mistake to get themselves back into the game, and Antonio Rüdiger answered the call in the 69th minute. The Germany international was caught completely out by a brilliant ball over the top that played Carlos Vicente through on goal.
The forward beat Thibaut Courtois with a right-footed strike, all while Rüdiger helplessly trailed after him. Alonso was visibly distraught on the bench at the equalizer before he was screaming in celebration seven minutes later.
Vinicius Junior, who had been relatively invisible all night long, bested Jonny Otto down the left flank with a blistering run that ended with a pass across the face of goal to his fellow countryman Rodrygo. The Brazilian calmly slotted home his first league goal in nearly 12 months to give Real Madrid the lead.
Alonso’s men closed out the game, collecting three points in La Liga for just the second time in their last six league matches.
Alavés vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats
| Statistic | Alavés | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.58 | 0.33 |
| Total Shots | 2 | 5 |
| Shots on Target | 1 | 1 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 87% | 86% |
| Fouls | 3 | 10 |
| Corners | 4 | 2 |
Alavés vs. Real Madrid Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Alavés | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.36 | 1.86 |
| Total Shots | 6 | 13 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 6 |
| Big Chances | 3 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86% | 86% |
| Fouls | 12 | 13 |
| Corners | 5 | 7 |
READ THE LATEST LA LIGA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Alaves: Late Thriller Gives Alonso a Lifeline.
