Real Madrid will eat the grapes in the lead thanks to a goal by Lucas Vázquez in added time in the only defensive error by Alavés in the entire match, a corner kick by Kroos in which no one detected that the Galician full-back finished alone in the area. The victory came in extremis in possibly the worst game for the whites in many months.
Ancelotti got everything he had in Vitoria with the predictable change of Kepa for Lunin in goal. On a very cold night, Madrid did not come out with the attitude of a team that can deal a blow to the League. Quite the opposite: Madrid was very contemplative, lacking rhythm and not very vertical. Against a team that waited behind them, very organized, the whites were unable to give fluidity to the game and the first 45 minutes were soporific. Madrid had two chances, both from Valverde, their most dynamic player.
In the first, very early, the Uruguayan was left in front of Sivera, but he shot into the goalkeeper's body. In the second, from outside the area, Valverde found a good save from Sivera.
With Modric very lost and Bellingham in a much lower tone than usual and very marked, it was not difficult for Alavés to take the game to their field. In the entire first half he did not worry Kepa.
The second half began with a stomp from Nacho on Samu that Diaz de Mera whistled first as a yellow card. He was called by the VAR and changed the color to red. A problem for Madrid that is so tight on center backs. It was the third red card for Nacho in his career, the second this season after Montilivi.
Ancelotti then opted to bring out Tchouaméni to play as a center back with Rüdiger. The sacrificed was Modric. If Madrid had had little game until then, without the Croatian they were going to have even more in Chinese. There was half an hour left.
With one more, a more offensive Alavés was not seen either. In fact, Madrid continued with clear possession, but still could not find offensive solutions and its dominance did not translate into danger for the babazorro team.
With a quarter of an hour left, Ancelotti removed Brahim and gave Joselu a start, who was greeted with a big whistle because it didn't come out well from Mendizorroza. With the change, Madrid's attacking problem worsened because Brahim was, as far as possible, the most in tune striker. When the game was expiring and the score was 0-0, Lucas Vázquez's goal came that spoiled the party in Vitoria. Rodrygo retired injured. Another one to the white infirmary. Ancelotti does not have victories without some disappointment.
