Real’s attack started functioning as it was meant to, but this time, defence fell short. Still, Los Blancos managed to beat a rather tricky Alaves 3-2. Even though Real went 3-0 up already in the 48th minute, thanks to Lucas Vazquez’s first-minute goal and Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo’s efforts, Alaves did not give up, netting two in the 85th and 87th minute through Carlos Benavidez and Kike Garcia for the unexpectedly exciting finish. Still, the away team, in the end, couldn’t steal a point and take it home from Santiago Bernabeu – 3-2.3 – Lucas Vázquez has both scored and assisted in the same game in three of his last seven starts for Real Madrid in all competitions, as many times as in his previous 154 starts. Reliability. pic.twitter.com/ZNpMf6vVmk— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 24, 2024 Real Madrid’s pursuit of the La Liga leaders Barcelona was set to continue with the clash against Alaves at Santiago Bernabeu. Carlo Ancelotti’s squad had yet to reach the expected level, but the team had undoubtedly stabilized itself with four consecutive victories. Still, Los Blancos’ primary problem was, surprisingly, the attack. Namely, Real had the best defence in La Liga alongside Atletico with only three conceded goals in six games, but 13 netted goals were substandard for the offensive line as potent as Real’s, including Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, and allegedly the future Ballon d’Or winner, Vinicius Junior. Vinicus Jr. set to win Ballon d’Or!All three were starters tonight as well, supported by the midfield trio of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Federico Valverde. However, Alaves had to be taken seriously, given that Luis Garcia Plaza’s crew sat in eighth place, having previously beaten teams like Sevilla and Real Sociedad.Real hinted that the scoring crisis was behind them already after approximately 40 seconds. Vinicius received the ball on the left flank and, after a skilful solo effort, found tonight’s captain Lucas Vazquez in the box, who unleashed a first-touch strike into the bottom right corner – 1-0! Twenty minutes later, Mbappe netted after Vini’s another ideal pass, only this time, the Frenchman was offside. Despite Real’s early lead and a significant possession advantage, Alaves held out quite well, thanks to solid and dense defensive formation. The away team occasionally crosses to Los Blancos’ half, mainly over very active Tomas Conechny and robust forward Asier Villalibre. Still, five minutes before the break, Alaves’ defence fell short for the second time, following Bellingham and Mbappe’s attractive one-two pass and the forward’s impeccable one-on-one finish past the custodian Antonio Sivera for 2-0!55 – Lucas Vázquez’s goal 55 seconds into the game is the earliest achieved by any team in LaLiga 2024/25 and Real Madrid’s earliest in the competition since February 2018 against Real Sociedad, also by Lucas Vázquez (49 seconds). Dagger. pic.twitter.com/rYqzsHUh0h— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 24, 2024 The best proof of Real’s quality was the fact that Ancelotti’s squad did not leave an outstanding impression. After all, they had only two attempts on target and were way too nervous, receiving two bookings before the break. Still, both of the aforementioned attempts went in for the comfortable two-goal lead, making everyone wonder what would have happened if they were at their highest possible level.1 – Real Madrid have received more yellow cards by dissent than any other team in LaLiga 2024/25 with eight, three of them by Vinícius Júnior, more than any other player. Nervousness. pic.twitter.com/WkDycPqNpQ— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 24, 2024 Garcia Plaza reacted immediately at the break, replacing the Moroccan Abdel Abqar with slightly more offensive Jon Guridi. Nevertheless, not only did that sub not bring anything to Alaves, but Real netted the third only three minutes after the first whistle of the second half! Rodrygo received the ball from Vazquez on the right flank and made a fantastic solo effort all the way to the box, where he easily found the net, putting Real three goals in front. That was Los Blancos’ third shot on target and the third goal!Considering the almost-sealed victory, Ancelotti started making subs to keep his players fresh for the upcoming matches. Luka Modric and the newly-wed Endrick got around 20 minutes on the pitch, replacing Valverde and Rodrygo. The 18-year-old Brazilian threatened minutes after entering the field, when he unleashed a powerful strike which crashed against Alaves’ goal left post.A post was in the centre of attention once more, but this time because it saved Thibaut Courtois following Abderrahmane Rebbach strike. Ten minutes before the end, Real boss sent another youngster, Arda Guller, in, alongside Jesus Vallejo for Mbappe and Eder Militao. In the 85th minute, the away team slightly reduced the gap through Carlos Benavidez’s nice goal from distance, and only two minutes later Kike Garcia netted another, providing the unexpected tension in the dying minutes – 3-2!In the end, Real got what they wanted – a win as a preparation for future, much more demanding challenges. In five days, Ancelotti’s boys will face city rivals Atletico at Metropolitano Stadium before travelling to France to face Lille in the Champions League second round next Wednesday. On the other hand, Alaves will once more be guests in Madrid on Saturday against Getafe.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 7TuesdayValencia – Osasuna 0-0Sevilla – Valladolid 2-1 (1-0)/Torres 45 og, Ejuke 85 – Perez K. 56/Real Madrid – Alaves 3-2 (2-0)/Vazquez 1, Mbappe 40, Rodrygo 48 – Benavidez 85, Garcia 87/Wednesday20:00: (1.80) Girona (3.50) Rayo Vallecano (4.70)22:00: (1.25) Barcelona (6.00) Getafe (11.0)Thursday20:00: (3.35) Espanyol (3.45) Villareal (2.15)20:00: (3.15) Las Palmas (3.35) Betis (2.45)20:00: (4.20) Celta (3.60) Atl.Madrid (1.95)***odds are subject to change***
