Madrid, SPAIN — Real Madrid maintained their momentum in La Liga with a 2-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night. Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr were enough to secure the three points, despite a late scare from the visitors.
The match began with Alvaro Arbeloa—managing the side following the recent departure of the previous coaching staff—opting for a dynamic lineup featuring Trent Alexander-Arnold and Arda Guler.
Okay News reports that Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a deflected effort from range, marking his eighth goal from outside the box this season—a career-best for the Frenchman.
Vinicius Jr doubled the lead early in the second half, drilling a low strike into the bottom corner. Notably, the Brazilian celebrated by seemingly apologizing to sections of the home crowd following recent whistles, a gesture aimed at reinforcing his commitment to the Madridistas. As the game progressed, Arbeloa introduced fresh talent, including Franco Mastantuono and Brahim Diaz, to maintain the tempo.
Alaves proved resilient in the closing stages, hitting the post through Guevara and forcing several vital saves from Andriy Lunin. The visitors eventually found the net in the 92nd minute via Martinez, but it proved to be a mere consolation as the referee blew for full-time shortly after.
The win keeps Real Madrid firmly in the title race, though the late defensive lapses will likely be a point of discussion for Arbeloa. The integration of young stars like Mastantuono alongside established veterans like Dani Carvajal continues to be the hallmark of this transitional period at the Bernabeu.
