Alaves 0-1 Real Madrid: 10-man visitors pick up priceless victory to top La Liga

Real Madrid have capitalise on Girona dropping points at Real Betis to return back to the summit of La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti’s side collected three crucial points against Alaves on Thursday evening, having played much of the second half with 10 men.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

2' Valverde's shot stopped

37' Valverde's long shot stopped

45' Yellow Card! Duarte booked

54' Red Card! Nacho sent off

75' Rodrygo's shot wide out

84' Yellow Card! Jude Bellingham booked

92' GOAL! Alaves 0-1 Real Madrid (Vazquez)

Match Report

Lucas Vazquez scored a stoppage-time winner for 10-man Real Madrid against Alaves to send Carlo Ancelotti’s men to the top of the LaLiga table for Christmas.

Girona’s draw earlier in the evening meant Real knew victory would be enough to see them leapfrog the Catalan side but they played most of the second half with 10 men after Nacho was sent off.

The game appeared to be heading for a goalless draw but Vazquez headed in a corner two minutes into injury time to seal a 1-0 victory.

The Real players came out of the tunnel in tops showing support for their team-mate David Alaba, who became the third Madrid player this season to rupture his anterior cruciate ligament in last weekend’s victory over Villarreal.

Real have been badly hit by injuries and Ancelotti was limited in his options, although he brought back Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal.

Alaves were without a win or a goal in their previous three LaLiga matches and again started with teenage forward Samu Omorodion, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Real immediately cut through the home side, with Jude Bellingham playing in Brahim Diaz, who drove towards the box before teeing up Federico Valverde for a shot from a tight angle that was saved by Antonio Sivera.

Jude Bellingham, left, drives forward

Alaves showed good intent with the ball, though, and they created a clear opportunity in the eighth minute but Luis Rioja’s shot from the middle of the box was blocked by Fran Garcia.

An 18th-minute free-kick from Toni Kroos evaded all of his team-mates and dropped just wide of the far post, while at the other end Samu headed straight at Kepa.

Real were struggling to create anything clear-cut and Sivera beat away a fierce shot from outside the box from Valverde seven minutes before the break.

The visitors’ hopes of forcing a victory were dealt a major blow nine minutes after the break when Nacho was shown a straight red card.

The defender went into a tackle from behind on Samu and raked his studs down the youngster’s calf.

The referee initially gave a yellow card but was sent to have a look on the pitchside monitor by the VAR officials and changed his decision, with Ancelotti reacting by sending on Aurelien Tchouameni for Luka Modric.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Real looked the side more likely to find a winner, and Rodrygo came close in the 75th minute, breaking away down the left and cutting inside but driving his shot high and wide.

When it did finally come, the breakthrough was from an unlikely source, with one of their smallest players, Vazquez, left alone in the middle of the box to head in Kroos’ cross.

Line-ups

Alaves XI: Duarte, Rioja, Gorosabel, Guridi, Sivera, Ander Guevara, Antonio Blanco, Abdel Abqar, Rafa Marín, Abde Rebbach, Samu Omorodion

Subs: Kike, Nikola Maras, I.Hagi, Carlos Benavidez, Álex Sola, Nahuel Tenaglia, Xeber Alkain, Javi López, Jesús Owono, Jon Karrikaburu, Tomas Mendes, Egoitz Muñoz

Real Madrid XI: Modric, Kroos, Nacho, Rudiger, Kepa, Vazquez, Valverde, Brahim, Fran García, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham

Subs: Joselu, Ceballos, Andriy Lunin, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Gonzalo García, Nico Paz, Vinícius Tobias, Fran González