Kylian Mbappe saw red for the first time in his Real Madrid career as his team battled to a victory over Alaves, narrowing the gap to four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Mbappe was initially handed a yellow card for a late tackle on Antonio Blanco, which saw him catch the midfielder high on the shin.
However, after a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), referee Cesar Soto Grado upgraded the punishment to a red card after viewing the incident on the pitch side monitor.
The controversial moment came just minutes after Eduardo Camavinga had put Real Madrid ahead with a beautifully curled left-footed shot from outside the penalty area.
Thibaut Courtois produced six saves to thwart Alaves, who were themselves reduced to 10 men when Manu Sanchez caught Vinicius Jr high on the leg in the 70th minute.
Vinicius and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, perhaps with a view to the 3-0 deficit they will look to overturn against Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti introduced his two stars as his side looked to kill off the hosts, but they mustered just one shot on target in the second half compared to Alaves’ five.
Victory keeps Los Blancos in touch with Barcelona, who beat strugglers Leganes 1-0 on Saturday.
Mbappe will miss Real’s home fixture against Athletic Bilbao next Sunday through suspension.
Real Madrid will travel to Barcelona on 11 May in a match that could determine the title race.
https://timesngr.com/2025/04/13/la-liga-mbappe-sent-off-in-real-madrids-1-0-victory-over-alaves/
No comments:
Post a Comment