Kylian Mbappé’s reckless foul left La Liga champions Real Madrid with a nervy second half before they saw out a 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Alavés who also finished the match with 10 men.
Eduardo Camavinga gave Real the lead in the 34th minute, scoring from outside the box with a brilliant curled shot, after an earlier goal by Raúl Asencio was ruled out following a VAR check.
Mbappé’s violent tackle on Alavés midfielder Antonio Blanco left Real a man down before half-time. The player count, however, was level in the second half after Vinicíus Jr was subjected to a similar foul by Manu Sánchez, who also was sent off by referee Cesar Soto Grado.
Real were without suspended manager Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian saw his fifth yellow card in the defeat by Valencia last weekend. He watched from the stands as Real were managed by his son and assistant coach Davide Ancelotti.
With Spain’s national team coach Luis de la Fuente present, defender Asencio thought he put Real in front after 19 minutes, nodding home from a corner.
His goal was chalked off after a VAR review showed that Asencio supported himself on an Alaves defender when scoring, while Antonio Ruediger knocked down goalkeeper Jesus Owono seconds prior in the same play.
Camavinga gave Real the lead 15 minutes later, scoring inside the left post after a smart one-two with Federico Valverde. It was the midfielder’s first league goal since March 2022.
However, things got tricky for the visitors in the 38th minute when Mbappé was shown a straight red for taking down Blanco as the referee overturned his initial decision of booking him with a yellow after consulting with VAR.
Alavés managed to swing possession in their favour after the restart, and forward Carlos Martin put Thibaut Courtois to work with his low strike from outside the area during a threatening spell by the hosts.
It was, however, 10 v 10 after Alavés defender Sánchez also saw red for fouling Vinícius, and Owono denied Jude Bellingham late on from close range.
“Kylian is certainly not a violent guy, he is a guy who has apologised and is aware of the mistake he has made,” Ancelotti said post-match. “Surely it was a clear red card and he has paid the consequences. I think that the many small fouls that were committed against him have made him react in this way, which is the wrong way to react. I’m not justifying it, but I think that’s why it happened.”
In Serie A, Atalanta’s return to winning ways following three straight losses was a relief for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and a big boost in their race to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.
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The 2-0 win over fifth-placed Bologna saw Atalanta climb to third, two points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, with six matches left in the campaign.
“When you win games of this calibre, it feels like it is worth double for the table,” Gasperini told DAZN. “We are satisfied … when you score that early, it puts you in a position to control the match.”
Gasperini praised striker Mateo Retegui, who scored three minutes into the game and assisted in Mario Pasalic’s 21st-minute goal to steer Atalanta to victory. “I thought it was Retegui’s best performance of this year. For his quality and intensity, he was a constant reference point for the rest of the team,” Gasperini added.
This story will be updated
