April 13, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid managed a narrow 1-0 victory against relegation-threatened Alaves on Sunday, overcoming the first-half red card shown to Kylian Mbappe.
The win came at the end of what manager Carlo Ancelotti described as a “difficult week” following defeats to Valencia in La Liga and Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League.
Eduardo Camavinga scored the decisive goal with a precise strike from outside the penalty area after combining with Federico Valverde.
The French midfielder, who had received a red card in the previous UCL match against Arsenal, turned from villain to hero as his goal proved sufficient to claim all three points for the visitors.
The match took a turn when Mbappe was sent off in the 38th minute for a dangerous challenge on Antonio Blanco.
The French forward, frustrated after being denied a foul, lunged at his opponent with the underside of his boot making contact with Blanco’s shin. The numerical disadvantage forced Madrid to adopt a defensive approach after the interval.
Alaves were also reduced to 10 men when Manuel Sanchez received a red card in the 70th minute for a studs-up challenge on Vinicius Junior.
This dismissal allowed Madrid their first shot of the second half and helped them maintain their slender advantage until the final whistle.
The victory moved Real Madrid to within four points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
The two Spanish giants are set to face each other in what could be a title-deciding clash in May, as well as meeting in the Copa del Rey final this month, a fixture that Mbappe might miss depending on the length of his suspension.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
