Madrid, Spain — Defending La Liga champions Real Madrid clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win against relegation-threatened Deportivo Alaves on Sunday, despite being reduced to ten men late in the first half.
Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with a brilliant curled shot from outside the box, marking his first league goal since March 2022. This came after an earlier effort by Raúl Asencio was disallowed following a VAR review, which found a foul in the buildup.
Real Madrid faced adversity when defender Dani Carvajal received a red card in the 38th minute for a reckless challenge on Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco. The referee initially showed a yellow card but upgraded it to red after consulting VAR, leaving Los Blancos a man down.
Alaves capitalized on their numerical advantage in the second half, pressuring the Real Madrid defense. Forward Carlos Martín forced a crucial save from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a powerful strike from distance.
However, the playing field leveled in the 70th minute when Alaves defender Manu Sánchez was sent off for a similar foul on Vinícius Jr. Both teams continued to battle with ten men, but Real Madrid held on to secure all three points.
Assistant coach Davide Ancelotti led the team from the sidelines, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti serving a suspension after receiving his fifth yellow card in the previous match. Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente was spotted in the stands, observing the intense encounter.
The victory keeps Real Madrid in second place with 66 points from 31 matches, four points behind leaders Barcelona, who edged Leganes 1-0 on Saturday. Despite recent struggles, including a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals first leg, Real Madrid remain determined to close the gap at the top of the table.
