Xabi Alonso bought himself some breathing space as Real Madrid ground out a hard-earned 2-1 away win over Deportivo Alaves, securing just their third victory in nine competitive matches. The result came as a timely response after a difficult week for Los Blancos, while Alaves slipped to a fourth defeat in five LaLiga outings, Softfootball reports
Coming into the game on the back of a woeful run that included a damaging 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week , Madrid were desperate to show a reaction. Alonso had stressed before kick-off that we are in this together, calling on his players to respond as a unit amid growing scrutiny, and there were early signs of intent at Estadio Mendizorrotza.
With only two sides having won away at Alaves this season, Madrid knew the task would not be straightforward. Kylian Mbappe had two early sights of goal inside the opening eight minutes but failed to hit the target. However, the Frenchman made no mistake on his third attempt midway through the first half, latching onto Jude Bellingham's perfectly weighted through ball before cutting inside from the left and curling a superb finish beyond Antonio Sivera.
