“Real Madrid narrows the gap in the title race with victory over Alaves.”

Real Madrid narrows the gap to Barcelona in the LaLiga title race with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Alavés, in a match filled with tension and drama until the final minutes. With the merengues playing before the leaders Barça faced Celta Vigo, Carlo Ancelotti’s team had a golden opportunity to put pressure on the Catalans, and they did not squander it.

The match began with Alavés showing some grit, but it was Real Madrid who opened the scoring in the 30th minute in a stroke of luck: Kylian Mbappé fired at goal, and the deflected ball ended up deceiving goalkeeper Antonio Sivera. The play originated from an excellent initiative by young Arda Guler, who once again proved to be an essential piece in the Madrid midfield.

Shortly after, Eder Militão could have doubled the lead when he hit the post following a low cross from Jude Bellingham, but an injury forced the Brazilian defender to leave the pitch, complicating Real’s plans. Alavés responded with some danger, and Toni Martínez had the chance to equalize, but first hit the crossbar and then saw his attempt thwarted by goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who was decisive.

In the second half, Real Madrid regained control of the match. Sivera shone by denying a close-range header from Aurélien Tchouaméni, but could not stop the unstoppable shot from Vinicius Júnior, who scored his 12th goal of the league with a placed and powerful strike, making it 2-0 and leaving the visitors in a delicate situation.

Brahim Díaz nearly sealed the game with a curled shot that was deflected off the line, while Alavés remained dangerous, with Victor Parada hitting the post from a corner kick that still got the crowd excited, showing that the fight for survival in LaLiga is still fierce.

In stoppage time, Alavés managed to reduce the score to 2-1 through Toni Martínez, who took advantage of a low shot from Ander Guevara to deceive Lunin and give hope to his team. However, time was short to attempt an equalizer, and Real Madrid held on to the victory, causing Barcelona’s lead in the league to shrink to just six points.

This victory was not the most convincing display from the Merengues, but the three points are invaluable at this decisive stage of the season. Real Madrid reaffirms itself as a strong title contender, while Alavés continues to fight to escape the relegation zone, just one point above the drop line in an increasingly unpredictable and fierce league. The pressure is on, and the race for glory promises excitement until the end.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.