Rodrygo's Goal Secures Real Madrid Narrow Victory Over Alaves

In the 16th round of the Spanish La Liga, "Alaves" hosted "Real Madrid" at the "Mendisorrosa" stadium on December 14. The Madrid club secured a 2-1 victory.

Heading into the match, "Real Madrid" was in a challenging situation: two consecutive losses, controversies surrounding the team, key players underperforming, and numerous injuries limited the Spanish giant's capabilities. Trent, Camavinga, Carvajal, Alaba, Militao, and Mendy were unavailable due to injuries.

Karreras, Endrick, and Fran were suspended. Although Rudiger, Valverde, and Mbappe played in the starting lineup, they were not fully recovered.

Victor Valdepenas made his debut for "Real Madrid" in the starting lineup. However, the role of hero in the match was destined for someone else.

Among the intense midfield battles, Kylian Mbappe stood out with his speed and ability to find open spaces. Initially, he failed to strike accurately near the goal, but later in the first half, he opened the scoring.

Rudiger intercepted the ball with a sliding tackle and passed it to Bellingham. Jude then delivered a pass to the left wing, where Mbappe moved close to the penalty area, shifted toward the center, and sent a precise shot near the penalty arc — 0-1.

Soon after, "Real Madrid" found the net again, but the goal was disallowed. Bellingham noticed the ball touched his hand before his shot following a corner, and the incident was ruled a handball violation.

Following that, "Alaves" gradually found their rhythm, increasing the number of set-piece opportunities and forcing "Real" to engage more defensively. For a long time, the game lacked significant dangerous moments.

"Real" only had a notable chance when Vinicius attempted a shot from the edge of the penalty box, but the goalkeeper saved it. In the 67th minute, the home side introduced three substitute players at once, and the changes yielded immediate results.

Just a minute later, Carlos Vicente capitalized on a brilliant long pass from Antonio Blanco deep in Alaves' territory, stayed onside, outran Rudiger, and scored with a precise shot to equalize — 1-1. Initially, the officials flagged for offside, but a replay confirmed the goal was legitimate.

"Real Madrid" struggled to regain control immediately. Toni Martinez even had a good opportunity, but he failed to convert Vicente's precise cross.

Subsequently, Madrid's pressure slowly built up, and eventually, they scored the winning goal. Vinicius made a fast run down the left flank, shielded the ball from a defender, and provided a low cross.

Rodrygo, falling to the ground, directed the ball into the net — 1-2. Rodrygo hadn't scored in over 30 matches but managed to score in two consecutive games now.

This time, his goal secured the three points for "Real Madrid." As a result, the "Royal Club" overcame "Alaves" with significant difficulty and continued to chase "Barcelona" in the league.

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