Real Madrid: Narrow Win Raises Concerns | Mendizorroza Recap

Victim of the recurring ills that have been stalking them for a month and a half, Real Madrid played with fire again this Sunday in Mendizorroza and miraculously did not end up getting burned. A goal from Rodrygo from a pass from Vinicius gave the whites three essential points to sustain the fight against a Barça that does not let up and keep a thread of hope for Xabi Alonso, who has his neck but is still on the tightrope.

The player from Tolosa recovered Mbappé for the cause and he was grateful because the French star opened the scoring in the first half, but his team soon fell into the thick of things and had to hold on to another miraculous save from Courtois to go ahead at half-time. The emergence of Carlos Vicente midway through the second half rewarded an Alavés that went from less to more and punished a Real Madrid that once again left a worrying image of helplessness at times, but that emerged from the hand of its two Brazilian wingers and obtained a pyrrhic victory that will by no means serve to calm the waters.

Injuries and sanctions left little room for maneuver for Xabi Alonso, who put together an eleven of circumstances with youth player Víctor Valdepeñas covering the left side while Valverde occupied the right, Arda Güler again in the engine room and Mbappé as the main offensive reference, escorted by Vinicius and Rodrygo.

Bondy’s star arrived at the meeting between cotton balls, but even being limited in the physical section he is a first-degree threat. His were the first two flashes of Real Madrid, who immediately assumed command against an Alavés team with a reactive spirit. The third attack was the charm. Rodrygo stole from Denis Suárez, Bellingham accelerated on the divide and connected with Mbappé, who struck from the left and unleashed an unappealable right hand to reach his seventh ten goals with the Real Madrid shirt in a year and a half.

Mbappé’s goal forced Alavés to change pace, which until then had been content with having a low block of those that usually choke Real Madrid, but which reacted bravely. The babazorro team took advantage of the step back that the whites took to look into Courtois’s area and had a great chance to tie just before the break with a point-blank shot by Pablo Ibáñez that was repelled with his face by the Belgian goalkeeper, once again the savior of a team that did not transmit joy.

Anodyne

Much more can be demanded of Real Madrid than to limit itself to managing a meager income and allowing itself to be subdued by a rival from the middle of the table, but the whites lack energy, consistency and clairvoyance, which gave wings to an Alavés with plenty of skill that defends well, does not complicate things a little and also has a goalkeeper who makes life easier.

Two great interventions by Sivera in response to shots from Mbappé and Vinicius kept the Albiazules on their feet at the beginning of the second half, where once again a bland and painless Real Madrid was seen, lacking in finesse and ideas and in which only the figure of Tchouaméni shone as a sapper in the center of the field.

The outlook for the visiting team was looking ugly and Coudet’s changes made it even worse. Carlos Vicente came into action and Alavés achieved the tie after a filtered pass from Antonio Blanco opened up the field for the winger to shoot Courtois. And Alavés could have increased the punishment, because Carlos Vicente put a measured cross to Toni Martínez that would have ended up in the net had it not been for Asencio going over the striker just enough to foul the shot.

It happened that when Real Madrid was at its worst, Vinicius finally appeared, taking his marker off the wheel and assisting Rodrygo so that the São Paulo player, who ended up retiring injured, scored for the second consecutive game. The resurrection of the ’11’ helped keep Xabi Alonso alive in a match that, however, casts even more doubts on the Basque’s project.