Kylian Mbappe received his first red card as a Real Madrid player, but his teammates held firm to defeat Alaves and close the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to four points.
Mbappe was initially cautioned with a yellow card for a late challenge that caught Antonio Blanco high on the shin. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened, prompting referee Cesar Soto Grado to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, which resulted in the yellow card being upgraded to a red.
The sending-off occurred just four minutes after Eduardo Camavinga had put Real Madrid ahead with a well-struck curling left-footed shot from just outside the box.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was crucial, making six saves to deny a determined Alaves side. Alaves themselves went down to ten men in the 70th minute when Manu Sanchez was shown a red card for a high challenge on Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti started Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham on the bench, possibly with Wednesday’s significant 3-0 Champions League deficit against Arsenal in mind. Both stars were later introduced as Madrid looked to secure the win, but they managed only one shot on target in the second half compared to Alaves’ five.
The victory keeps Los Blancos within touching distance of Barcelona, who narrowly defeated struggling Leganes 1-0 on Saturday. Mbappe will now be suspended for Real Madrid’s home game against Athletic Bilbao next Sunday. A potentially decisive El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona is scheduled for May 11th in Barcelona.
