Real Madrid Keeps La Liga Title Hopes Alive with Hard-Fought Victory Over Alaves at the Bernabeu

Goals from Mbappe and Vinicius Junior secure a 2-1 win for Real Madrid vs Alaves, closing the La Liga gap to six points amid an Eder Militao injury scare.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 22, 2026, 4:22 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from YSScores

Mbappe Breaks Deadlock Amid Rising Tension

Real Madrid returned to winning ways on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu, facing a resilient Deportivo Alaves side in a match critical to their La Liga pursuit. After a tense opening period where the home crowd showed signs of anxiety, Kylian Mbappe provided the breakthrough in the 30th minute. The French captain unleashed a shot from the edge of the penalty area that took a significant deflection off a defender, wrong-footing Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera to find the net. This strike marked Mbappe’s 24th league goal of the season, ending a personal goal drought in La Liga that had stretched back to early February.

Militao Injury Mars First Half Success

Just as the royal team appeared to be finding their rhythm, a familiar defensive concern surfaced shortly before the interval. In the 44th minute, Brazilian center-back Eder Militao suffered an injury following an aerial challenge where he nearly doubled the lead by hitting the crossbar. Despite receiving immediate attention from the medical staff, the defender was unable to continue and was forced off before the halftime whistle. Early reports from the Madrid camp suggested the injury might not be as severe as his previous setbacks, yet his departure cast a shadow over an otherwise productive first half for Alvaro Arbeloa’s men.

Vinicius Junior Delivers Long Range Missile

The hosts doubled their advantage early in the second half through a moment of individual brilliance from Vinicius Junior. In the 50th minute, the Brazilian forward received a service from Fede Valverde at the edge of the box, opened up his body, and unleashed a powerful low drive into the bottom left corner. The goal was particularly significant for Vinicius, who had gone six matches without scoring for club or country. The two-goal cushion proved vital as Alaves began to increase their offensive pressure, forcing Madrid’s defense into a more compact, reactive posture for the remainder of the contest.