Tag: Alaves

Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo struck goals to earn Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

Second-placed Madrid trimmed league leaders Barcelona’s advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position.

After Mbappe’s superb opener, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorroza Stadium.

Alonso was able to bring his key player, Mbappe, back into the side after he could only watch the defeat by City from the bench because of a painful knee.

The coach also handed a debut to Victor Valdepenas at left-back, with both Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia suspended, and Ferland Mendy one of several players out injured.

Mbappe appeared to be feeling his knee and also hobbling in the first few minutes, but, despite that, he was the game’s most influential player.

The forward had a shot deflected wide and then fired narrowly over as Alaves sat deep and tried to keep the 15-time European champions at bay.

By the time Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute, his discomfort seemed to have cleared up.

Released by Jude Bellingham, Mbappe drove towards goal at full tilt and whipped a shot into the top right corner for his 17th league goal of the campaign.

England international Bellingham then blasted home from close range, but his strike was ruled out for handball.

Needing to fight back, Alaves moved on to the front foot and took control of the game before the break, almost pulling level.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save with his head, even if he knew little about it, to deny Pablo Ibanez from close range.

Los Blancos were dangerous again soon after the interval, with Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera saving well from Mbappe and then Vinicius Junior.

Real came to rue those misses when Vicente pulled Alaves level after 68 minutes.

The forward got in behind Antonio Rudiger, controlled former Madrid midfielder Antonio Blanco’s chipped pass and whipped a shot past Courtois.

Eduardo Coudet’s side almost took the lead when Vicente’s low cross from the right was nudged wide by Toni Martinez, who was nudged off-balance by Raul Asencio’s pressure.

Instead, Madrid pulled back in front, with Vinicius breaking in down the left and crossing for Rodrygo to finish from six yards out.

It was the Brazilian’s second goal in two games after going the previous 32 matches without finding the net, and a tense Alonso celebrated wildly, knowing that his future could depend on it.

Vinicius had appeals for a penalty turned down as he fell under a challenge from Nahuel Tenaglia, and Bellingham came close in stoppage time as Madrid tried in vain to ease their nerves by putting the game to bed.

Third-place Villarreal’s visit to Levante was postponed because of a weather warning in the Valencia region.

Real Oviedo, 19th, sacked coach Luis Carrion after a 4-0 hammering at Sevilla.

On Saturday, champions Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 to win a seventh straight La Liga game and ensure that they will lead the table into 2026, regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures before the winter break.

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Robert Lewandowski struck a 26-minute hat-trick to steer La Liga leaders Barcelona three points clear of Real Madrid with an emphatic 3-0 win at Alaves on Sunday.

The Polish striker reached 10 goals for the season in nine league games, stretching his lead as the division’s top goalscorer with a first-half treble.

Champions Madrid beat Villarreal on Saturday to pull level with Barcelona but the Catalans strolled to a comfortable triumph at Alaves’ Mendizorroza stadium to continue a strong start to the campaign under new coach Hansi Flick.

Barcelona secured their eighth victory in nine La Liga matches by taking control from the start.

Lewandowski and winger Raphinha, in superb form this season, were Barcelona’s key players in a match they largely dominated.

The Brazil international had a goal disallowed for offside before setting up Robert Lewandowski for the opener with an inviting free-kick, which the striker headed home.

Raphinha burst down the left wing for Barcelona’s second, crossing for the veteran Polish forward to knock in with ease.

Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera denied both Raphinha and Lewandowski before the latter completed his hat-trick.

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Marc Casado found Eric Garcia, who had replaced the injured Ferran Torres early on, and the defender slipped in Lewandowski to finish clinically across Sivera.

The 36-year-old hitman looks far sharper than last season and has 12 goals in 11 games across all competitions.

Alaves thought they had pulled a goal back before the break when Toni Martinez headed home but Nahuel Tenaglia was offside in the build-up.

Martinez hit the post in the second half when a corner escaped Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, playing in place of the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Sivera made a fine save to thwart Ansu Fati, who had replaced an unusually quiet Lamine Yamal.

Alaves had another goal disallowed when Santiago Mourino headed home a free-kick, but he had strayed offside — the hosts were flagged off 11 times in the match, largely thanks to Barca’s high defensive line.

Later on Sunday, Atletico Madrid visit Real Sociedad and Sevilla host Real Betis in a Seville derby.

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MADRID: Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior inspired runaway La Liga champions Real Madrid to a 5-0 rout of Alaves on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side continued warming up for the Champions League final with a comprehensive demolition of their Basque visitors.

Bellingham scored the opener and played a part in Madrid’s next three goals, two scored by Vinicius, finding his best form at the business end of the season.

Turkish teenager Arda Guler added a late fifth to put the cherry on Madrid’s cake, moving them 17 points clear of second-place Barcelona.

“We’ve had just one defeat in the league and I think that a big part of the success is because of (the defence),” Ancelotti told reporters after his side’s 30th consecutive league game unbeaten.

Madrid celebrated their title with an open-top bus parade on Sunday but with the Wembley final a little over a fortnight away, nobody is letting their concentration slip.

Least of all Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, made a fine double save from Samu Omorodion in the opening minutes.

After missing most of the season with a severe knee injury, Courtois is hoping for a Champions League final start and boasts three clean sheets in three matches since his return.

“I knew I’d come back strongly — I’m the same Courtois, or even better,” said the goalkeeper.

Ancelotti selected the vast majority of his first choice line-up after resting them at the weekend, and Madrid’s usual suspect opened the scoring. It was Bellingham, with his 19th league goal and perhaps his luckiest.

The England international directed Toni Kroos’ cross towards the far post where Dani Carvajal was running in, but the ball sank directly into the net.

Bellingham trails La Liga’s top scorer, Girona’s Artem Dovbyk, by one goal.

Madrid doubled their lead after Bellingham threaded a pass-through for Eduardo Camavinga.

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The French midfielder burst forward in the box and unselfishly squared for Vinicius to tap home when other players might have taken the chance to shoot.

Alaves midfielder Ianis Hagi, son of legendary Romanian playmaker Gheorghe Hagi, stung the palms of Courtois with a fierce drive at the other end.

The visitors have enjoyed a strong season and are safely ensconced in mid-table, avoiding the stress of a relegation battle.

However, Madrid dismantled them with consummate ease and Fede Valverde rattled home the third in first-half stoppage time after Bellingham played him in.

The Uruguayan midfielder hammered a strike into the top corner at the near post for his second league goal of the season, far fewer than his tally of seven last year due to his deeper role.

Courtois denied Omorodion and Hagi again in the second half as he continued stating his case to Ancelotti, and he ended up making nine saves altogether.

Vinicius extended Madrid’s lead after Bellingham played him in, lashing home his second of the night with a fine finish.

“I’m at my best,” said Vinicius. “Now we’ve got time to train and that lets us stay calm, do good work and arrive better than ever at Wembley.”

Rodrygo should have added the fifth but goalkeeper Jesus Owono denied him from close range after Vinicius teed him up, and so it was Guler instead after a deflected effort fell his way in the box.

“Every time a small team comes here, it’s a torment,” lamented Alaves coach Luis Garcia Plaza.

Eder Militao and Carvajal ended the game with apparent physical issues, but they turned out to be nothing serious.

“What happened with the knee is nothing,” Militao said after the game, while Ancelotti confirmed the Spanish defender was also fine.

Elsewhere high-flying Girona, third, fell to a 1-0 home defeat against Villarreal — Barcelona can move four points clear if they win at Almeria on Thursday.

Mallorca, 15th, rescued a 1-1 draw at Osasuna to add one more point in their battle for survival. The Copa del Rey runners-up are seven points clear of the relegation zone.

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PAMPLONA: Ante Budimir scored a late goal to guide Osasuna to a 1-0 victory over Alaves in their La Liga 2023-24 clash at El Sadar Stadium on Monday.

The first half of the game remained goalless as both teams made several efforts to earn the lead but could not get a breakthrough.

Budimir came close to opening the scoring in the 36th minute when he found a cross by Ruben Garcia following a corner and hit a header but it narrowly missed the goal.

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Meanwhile, Alaves goalkeeper made an impressive save to deny Budimir another goal at the stroke of the first half.

But the Croatian striker did not slow down and broke the deadlock to score the only goal in the match, leading Osasuna to their 10th victory in the ongoing La Liga season.

Budimir once again met Garcia’s cross and hit a left-footed shot from outside the box which hit the top left corner a mere 14 minutes before the final time.

The Croatian stood out in the match courtesy of his brilliance in the field and the black protective face mask he wore.

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After the match, he reflected on his performance as well as the mask, which he wore after suffering a nose injury during the Las Palmas match last week.

“The mask has been good. It was the only way to play, and playing is the only thing that matters,” said Budimir.

“As for the goal, it was a clean strike. And then you just enjoy seeing it hit the net.”

Meanwhile, in another La Liga clash, defending champions Barcelona and Atheltic Club settled for a goalless draw.

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VITORIA-GASTEIZ: Lucas Vazquez scored in injury time to help Real Madrid register a 1-0 victory over the home side Alaves during the La Liga 2023/24 match at Mendizorrotza Stadium on Thursday.

This victory helped Real Madrid regain the top spot in the La Liga points table as the table-topper Girona drew 1-1 with Real Betis.

The homside Alaves frustrated Real Madrid throughout the first half before the Los Balncos’ defender Nacho Fernandez was sent off 10 minutes after the break.

With the clock going into second-half injury time without any goal, it looked like Girona would lead La Liga going into 2024 thanks to Madrid’s draw, however, 32-year-old Vazquez had other plans.

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Experienced Germany midfielder Toni Kroos whipped in a corner and Vazquez opened his account for the season with a free header, as Los Blancos top the table on goal difference before La Liga takes a break until January 2.

Meanwhile, Girona played their last away game of the year against Real Betis at Benito Villamarín Stadium, where both teams settled for a 1-1 stalemate.

The surprise package of La Liga 2023-24 Girona started the game on high and earned a penalty in the 38th minute which was successfully converted by Artem Dovbyk.

This was Dovbyk’s eleventh goal this season, making him the joint-third highest goal scorer in the season.

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Girona held on to the lead throughout the second half and they appeared to solidify their top spot in La Liga 2023-24, however, Germán Pezzella rained on their parade with an equalizer in the 88th minute.

Pezzella found William Carvalho’s cross following a corner and hit a right-footed shot from the centre of the box to level the scores 1-1.

In another La Liga game at Iberostar Stadium, Mallorca registered their third victory this season as they defeated Osasuna 3-2 in a five-goal thriller.

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Girona once again displaced Real Madrid to gain the top spot in the La Liga 2023/24 points table after thumping Alaves at their home Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Monday.

Girona have been the surprise package during the ongoing season of La Liga as they have been in a constant battle with Real Madrid for the top spot.

They entered the game with confidence from their 4-2 victory over defending champions Barcelona in their last La Liga match.

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Artem Dovbyk drew first blood for the home side with a header from the centre of the box in the 23rd minute.

Girona doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute with a strike by Portu from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner following a cross by Yan Couto.

The first half ended at 2-0 as the visitors had little resistance to offer against the home side.

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With only a few minutes in the second half, Yan Couto earned a penalty which was successfully converted by Artem Dovbyk to extend the lead to 3-0, which remained intact until the final whistle.

This was Artem Dovbyk’s 10th goal during the ongoing season of La Liga.

Girona will next face Real Betis on December 21, having lost only one game out of their 17 games this season.

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Alaves registered their first win in the ongoing La Liga season as they defeated Sevilla 4-3 in a hard-fought battle, while, Rayo Vallecano jumped to second position after thumping Granada 2-0.

Alaves, returned to La Liga this season, after earning a promotion in the play-off stage of Segunda División (second division). However, they started this season with a loss at the hands of Cadiz.

They started the game on high with a seventh-minute goal by Luis Rioja, however, Abdelkabir Abqar’s own goal in the 15th minute levelled the score.

Sevilla’s Erik Lamela scored a goal on his own in the 40th minute to give his side the lead, however, their lead was short-lived as Alaves equalized three minutes later with a goal by Rubén Duarte to close the first half at 2-2.

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Alaves had a flying start to the second half as Kike García stunned the home crowd with two goals in five minutes to give his side the decisive 4-2 lead which remained intact until Sevilla’s Rafa Mir scored a goal in the final minutes of extra time to close the game at 4-3.

In another game of La Liga, Rayo Vallecano crushed home side Granada 2-0 to sink them to the bottom of the table with two losses, while they are comfortably sitting in the second position with two clean sheets in two games.

Both teams defended enough to not allow the opponent to score until Rayo’s Álvaro García gave the first goal in the 74th minute to give visitors an upper hand.

They extended their lead to 2-0 four minutes later with the match-winning goal by Pathé Ciss before the home side was reduced to 10 men as Antonio Puertas was shown the red card in the 85th minute.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid were held by Real Betis in a goalless stalemate.

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