Real Madrid had not fully recovered its best form after two defeats to Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, a loss to Mallorca, and a draw with Girona in La Liga. In the third minute, Alaves threatened goalkeeper Andriy Lunin's goal. Angel Perez broke into the penalty area but chose to pass horizontally to a teammate instead of taking a shot. Moments later, Toni Martinez's shot deflected off Dean Huijsen, sending the ball wide.

Mbappe dribbles between Alaves players during Real's 2-1 victory in La Liga's 32nd round at the Bernabeu on the evening of 21/4. Anh: Reuters

Real continued to lack sharpness throughout the remainder of the first half. They needed a stroke of luck to break the deadlock in the 30th minute. During a central attack 18 m from the goal, Kylian Mbappe's shot deflected off a home defender, changing its direction and flying into the near corner, leaving goalkeeper Antonio Sivera no time to react.

In contrast to Real's ineffective play, Alaves generated a higher proportion of chances relative to their possession time. They lacked only a clinical finisher and a bit of luck to equalize. In the 45+5th minute, following a cross from the left wing, Toni Martinez again missed, volleying the ball against the post before his follow-up shot was saved by Lunin.

Real played with more focus after halftime. In the 49th minute, Vinicius scored from 25 m with a shot into the near corner, extending the lead to 2-0.

"Number 7" scored for the first time since 22/3, when Real defeated Atletico 3-2 in La Liga. He did not celebrate, instead clasping his hands together to apologize to the fans for the disappointing past month.

Vinicius clasps his hands after scoring in Real's 2-1 victory over Alaves in La Liga's 32nd round at the Bernabeu on the evening of 21/4. Anh: AS

In the 56th minute, Coach Alvaro Arbeloa substituted Jude Bellingham. The English midfielder, however, showed dissatisfaction upon returning to the bench. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga, who received a red card leading to Real's 3-4 aggregate loss to Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals second leg, was booed by the crowd upon entering the field.

Real pressed for the remainder of the match but could not extend their lead. Conversely, in the 90+3rd minute, Alaves unexpectedly narrowed the score to 1-2. Following a teammate's diagonal shot from outside the penalty area, Toni Martinez back-heeled the ball into Real's net.

The victory over Alaves gave Real 73 points after 32 La Liga matches, reducing the gap with Barca to 6 points. However, if the league leaders defeat Celta Vigo on the evening of 22/4, they will restore their 9-point advantage.

Thanh Quy