Kylian Mbappé continued his impressive scoring run by netting his sixth goal in five games, helping Real Madrid secure a 3-2 victory over Alaves and draw closer to league leaders Barcelona in the Spanish league on Tuesday.
The France international’s seventh goal since his transfer to Madrid was a standout, as he initiated a give-and-go with Jude Bellingham, skillfully flicking the ball with his heel before finishing with finesse inside the penalty area in the 40th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Lucas Vázquez opened the scoring for Madrid just one minute into the match, capitalizing on a well-placed pass from Vinícius Júnior. Rodrygo added to the lead early in the second half with a goal in the 48th minute. Despite a late push from Alaves, featuring goals from Carlos Benavídez and Kike García in the 85th and 86th minutes respectively, they were unable to find an equalizer.
“We played a great match for 80 minutes, but we suffered more than we should have in the end,” said Vázquez.
The win brings Madrid within one point of Barcelona, who will aim for their seventh consecutive victory of the season against winless Getafe on Wednesday.
Mbappé has now scored seven goals in nine matches across all competitions for Madrid, including five in the league, placing him just behind top scorer Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona. The French forward, who joined Madrid as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, had an earlier goal disallowed for offside in the 22nd minute. He was substituted in the 80th minute.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti, marking his 300th match with the club, fielded most of his regular starters despite a busy schedule, with Vázquez filling in for Dani Carvajal, who was rested due to fitness concerns. Teenage forward Endrick made an early bench appearance, hitting the post shortly after coming on.
Real Madrid expressed frustration over yellow cards issued to Vinícius, Federico Valverde, and substitute Luka Modric for protesting decisions in a match that featured aggressive tackles against their players.
Looking ahead, Madrid faces a city derby against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium.
In other news, Sevilla claimed a 2-1 home victory over Valladolid despite losing midfielder Saúl Ñíguez to an apparent leg injury early in the second half. Chidera Ejuke scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute, marking Sevilla’s second win in their last three league matches. Valladolid has managed only one win this season, which came in their opener against Espanyol.
Valencia also played to a 0-0 draw against Osasuna after securing their first win of the season against Girona.