Real Madrid edge closer to victory over Barcelona in La Liga match

Real Madrid Secures Victory Over Relegation-Threatened Alaves in La Liga

Real Madrid defeated Alaves 2-1 in a La Liga match on Tuesday at the Bernabeu Stadium, narrowing the gap with league leader Barcelona to six points. The win marked Real Madrid’s first game since their elimination by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Kylian Mbappe scored the opening goal for Real Madrid in the 30th minute, deflecting a shot off an Alaves defender and fooling goalkeeper Antonio Sivera. Vinicius Junior added to the lead with a long-range strike in the 50th minute, ending his six-game goal drought. Alaves pulled one closer with a goal by Toni Martínez in second-half stoppage time.

The match came after Real Madrid’s last two Spanish league matches had been a 1-1 home draw against Girona and a 2-1 loss at Mallorca. The team was also coming off a four-game winless streak. Alaves, sitting one point above the relegation zone, has won only one of its last nine league matches.

Real Madrid’s Eder Militao was replaced just before halftime due to an injury that did not appear to be serious. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón made key stops for Athletic Bilbao in their 1-0 win against Osasuna at home. Other La Liga matches saw Mallorca draw 1-1 with Valencia, and Real Betis win 3-2 at Girona.

Source: Al Jazeera