Kylian Mbappe bagged another goal to build on his season and Rodrygo broke his La Liga scoring slump as Real Madrid left it late to edge a well-drilled Alaves side. Xabi Alonso's men needed a result to save their manager's job, and even if they were lacking in quality, individual moments of brilliance got the job done in a vital 2-1 away win.
Madrid had much of the ball in the early stages but admittedly little to show for it. If this was indeed the game to save Alonso's job - as it had been billed by many - then the intent didn't really seem there. Mbappe basically changed that single-handedly. The second Madrid had some space in attack, they pounced. Mbappe received the ball on the left, cut inside two men and smashed home to give them a 1-0 lead.
They almost threw it away in the second half. A defensive lapse allowed Carlos Vincente to run in behind, and he smashed past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. But when all seemed lost, Rodrygo stepped up. Vinicius Jr darted down the left, crossed into the middle, and his fellow Brazilian tapped home for his first La Liga goal since January. There should have been another shortly after when Gonzalo Garcia scuffed a square ball to a wide-open Mbappe. Brahim lashed wide late on, too.
This was another sloppy Madrid performance - and they are yet to establish a true indentity under Alonso. Still, it's a result to save their manager's job - which isn't bad whatsoever.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio de Mendizorroza...