Star players really affect Alavés, which makes it even more interesting

Real Madrid can put three points in the Spanish league. At home it looked like he was heading for a big win over mid-table Alavés, but just before the end the visitors from the Basque Country suddenly made things interesting. After a hectic end, a 3-2 victory for Real was on the final table.

After seven games, Real Madrid are second in the Spanish league, behind the still faultless FC Barcelona. On Sunday, De Koninklijke will visit city rivals Atlético Madrid for the championship.

Alavés had come to Madrid to get a result, but were already behind after 55 seconds. Captain Lucas Vázquez was then able to take a quick 1-0 lead, Real’s fastest in more than six years.

Vinícius Júnior’s support was mainly what made the goal possible. The Brazilian, who according to the Spanish sports newspaper Marca has already announced that he will receive the Ballon d’Or (the award for the best player in the world), turned his opponent crazy and it put Vázquez in a very promising position.

Last weekend Vinícius was also important for Real, scoring a goal and an assist as a substitute. The Brazilian player is in good form, that’s clear.

After the early opening goal, the main question was how often Real would score and whether goalkeeper Kylian Mbapé would still appear on the scoreboard. That happened just before half-time, when Mbappé made a good pass after a good one-two with Jude Bellingham and finished decisively.

Shortly after the break, the other Brazilian player, Rodrygo, also scored a goal. It was also a great individual move, in which he quickly got past the defense and finished through the legs of the keeper. A full quarter of Real’s offensive players had a goal or an assist and there seemed to be no problem for the royal team.

But Alavés suddenly made it interesting just before the end. After 85 minutes, Carlos Benavidez scored the best goal of the day, a curling shot from distance, and two minutes later he was scored again when Kike Garcia made it 3-2. Especially with the extra time (6 minutes), it was frustrating for the home team.

In the end, Alavés could not continue, leaving Real unscathed and allowed to focus on the city derby next weekend.