Jostled on the Alavés pitch, the Madrilenians provided the essentials to come back to within four points of Barça. Kylian Mbappé, returning from injury, scored again.
Good to take. Defeat was forbidden for Xabi Alonso to avoid lightning: the contract was fulfilled thanks to two goals from Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo, allowing Real Madrid to win on Sunday at Alavés (2-1), offering a respite to the Madrid coach.
This victory on the 16th day of La Liga was far from smooth sailing. And for Real Madrid, we will probably only have to remember the result. The subtext of this match was known: Xabi Alonso would not have survived one more disappointment. The two defeats in a row at the Santiago Bernabéu, and the unthinkable record of two victories in the last eight matches left him little margin with the Merengue leaders.
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History will tell if this victory only offers him a meager reprieve or if it marks the awakening of a team clearly lacking confidence in recent weeks. In any case, it allows Real to maintain its 2nd place and come back to within four points of Barça, a solid leader who signed their seventh victory in a row on Saturday against Osasuna (2-0) with a double from Raphinha.
The start of this decisive match against Alavés, an opponent that the Madrilenians are accustomed to beating (19 victories in the last 21 duels), hardly encouraged optimism. Certainly deprived of almost all of his senior defenders, Xabi Alonso’s players once again seemed borrowed, tasteless, destined to suffer.
Mbappé clinic
The two defeats in three days against Celta Vigo in La Liga and Manchester City in the Champions League undoubtedly still weighed heavily… But Mbappé, absent against City, would sound Madrid’s wake-up call. After Denis Suarez lost the ball, the Frenchman, ideally launched, executed a perfect counter, concluded with a hook and an unstoppable right strike to deceive goalkeeper Antonio Sivera (24th).
A palpable relief then crossed the Madrid bench, just as when Courtois made a decisive save in added time. But everything collapsed twenty minutes from the end of the match with a goal from Carlos Vicente, launched at the edge of offside, which was going to shoot Courtois (68th).
The spark on the Madrid side came from Vinicius, whose activity, as muddled as it is, is still shot through with flashes of brilliance. He served Rodrygo perfectly who, with his right foot, was not going to miss the opportunity to avoid a great crisis just before the holidays (76th).
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Mano a mano with Barça
The Madrilenians’ upsurge is, however, still very far from the dynamics of the Barcelonans, undefeated since November 25 in all competitions, and who impose a frantic pace on the Merengue. The mano a mano will continue for a little longer, but Real will continue to have to look behind them too.
Villarreal, who did not play Sunday against Levante due to the weather, remains 4th, four lengths behind Real. And Atlético, winner on Saturday against Valencia (2-1), could also come and tickle Madrid’s ankles in the event of another misstep.
At the bottom of the table, the poor results of Real Sociedad, on the edge of the relegation zone (15th), got the better of coach Sergio Francisco, who was fired on Sunday. A bad day for poor performers since Real Oviedo, 19th, did the same by dismissing Luis Carrión after a little over two months in this position.
