Real Madrid Ends Winless Run with 2-1 Victory Over Alavés
Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior dragged Real Madrid out of their slump, but the night at the Bernabéu ended with a frown, not a roar.
Madrid beat struggling Alavés 2–1 to snap a four-game winless run and trim the gap to La Liga leader Barcelona to six points, yet the mood in the stadium never quite settled. Anxiety lingered in the stands, and an injury to Éder Militão just before halftime added a fresh layer of concern.
Nervous Bernabéu, restless crowd
This was Madrid’s first outing since Bayern Munich dumped them out of the Champions League quarterfinals, 2–1 in Madrid and 4–3 in Germany. The scars from that tie were still visible.
The team entered the night on the back of a 1–1 draw with Girona and a 2–1 defeat at Mallorca. The Bernabéu crowd knew the stakes. It sounded it, too.
Madrid started flat. Alavés, hovering just a point above the relegation zone, sensed vulnerability and carved out early chances. Every misplaced pass drew groans. Some fans jeered as the home side laboured through the opening minutes, tension crackling around the ground.
Mbappé breaks the drought
The pressure finally told on Alavés in the 30th minute. Mbappé, starved of a league goal since February despite leading the scoring charts, took aim. His shot clipped a defender, wrong-footed goalkeeper Antonio Sivera and rolled in.
A slice of luck, but Madrid didn’t care. Mbappé’s 24th league goal of the season gave them air, and briefly, the Bernabéu exhaled.
Yet even with the lead, Madrid never fully convinced. Passes went astray, defensive lines wobbled, and Alavés refused to back down.
Militão limps off
Just before the break, another worrying scene. Éder Militão, already a key figure in a back line that has taken heavy punishment this season, had to come off injured.
Madrid later indicated the problem did not appear serious, but the timing could hardly be worse. With the title race still alive and the margin for error shrinking, any knock to a defensive cornerstone sends alarm bells ringing.
Vinícius from distance, Alavés hit back late
After halftime, Madrid finally produced a moment of pure quality. On 50 minutes, Vinícius, goalless in his previous six games for club and country, stepped up.
From long range, the Brazilian unleashed a strike that flew beyond Sivera and into the net. A cathartic goal for a player who had been searching for rhythm. A 2–0 cushion for Madrid. At last, something that felt like control.
But it never turned into a cruise.
Alavés kept pushing, driven by the desperation of a team staring at the drop. Their persistence was rewarded in stoppage time when Toni Martínez pulled one back, slicing the deficit and reigniting the unease in the stands.
Boos followed the final whistle, as they had after the late Alavés goal. Madrid had the win, but not the reassurance.
Alavés still in trouble, Madrid still chasing
For Alavés, the pattern remains grim. Just one win in their last nine league matches, that lone bright spot coming away at Celta Vigo in March. They stay locked in the relegation scrap, and nights like this – close, but not enough – will sting.
Madrid, meanwhile, move within six points of Barcelona, who host sixth-placed Celta Vigo on Wednesday. The title race is not dead yet, but it is fragile, and every injury, every nervy finish, chips away at their margin.
Elsewhere, Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón saved a penalty and produced several key stops as ninth-place Athletic Bilbao edged Osasuna 1–0 at home. Mallorca drew 1–1 with visiting Valencia, while fifth-place Real Betis claimed a 3–2 thriller at Girona, Rodrigo Riquelme striking the winner in the 80th minute.
Madrid got what they needed: three points, goals for their two star forwards, and a little breathing room in the table. But with Militão’s fitness now a question and the crowd’s patience clearly thinning, how long can they keep walking this tightrope?
