Real Madrid Beat Alaves, Rodrygo Saves Coach Xabi Alonso
JAKARTA - Real Madrid had to work hard to beat Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in a Spanish LaLiga match at the Mendizorroza Stadium, Monday, December 15, 2025 WIB. Wing player Rodrygo was the determinant of Madrid's victory, which saved coach Xabi Alonso.
Madrid's poor results put Alonso under pressure. The 2-1 defeat when hosting Manchester City in the Champions League made Alonso threatened with dismissal.
Although the club still supports Alonso, rumors of dismissal are blowing stronger. Even former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has been said to replace Alonso. The match against Alaves is also a determinant of the fate of the former Bayer Leverkusen coach.
If he loses, he is threatened with dismissal. However, this 44-year-old coach seems to have escaped the threat so that Rodrygo scored the decisive goal for Madrid's victory.
The success made Madrid win the third victory from the last nine matches in various competitions.
The additional three points also helped Los Merengues cut the points gap with leaders Barcelona. Madrid, who have 39 points, are now four points behind Barca.
Meanwhile, Alaves stayed in the middle of the table. They ranked 12th with 18 points. Even though they are in the middle of the table, Alaves' position is not completely safe. This is because Alaves is only three points ahead of Girona, which is in the relegation zone.
In the match, Madrid's back sector was in the spotlight because it lost many defenders. After Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Dean Huijsen were absent due to injury, Alonso also lost Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia due to a playing ban.
As a result, Alonso dropped 19-year-old defender Victor Valdepenas. In his debut, Valdepenas shoulder-to-shoulder with Antonio Rudiger, Raul Asencio and Federico Valverde who were pulled back.
The forward Kylian Mbappe who was doubtful to appear was finally able to be sent out in the match. Mbappe immediately led the Madrid attack and threatened the Alaves goal.
At least, he created two chances. However, his kick went wide after hitting the opponent's body. Furthermore, his kick also bounced slightly over the crossbar.
After many failed attempts, Mbappe finally broke the deadlock in the 24th minute. Receiving the ball from Jude Bellingham, he then fired a shot into the top corner of the goal. This became Mbappe's 17th goal this season.
Ahead 1-0, Madrid was more aggressive in pressing the home team's defense. Not long after, Bellingham managed to increase Madrid's lead. Only the English national team player's goal was annulled because it was a handball first.
Alaves were not without resistance. They had the opportunity to equalize through Pablo Ibanez. Only his shot from close range could be stopped by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The score of 1-0 for Madrid lasted until the first half ended.
In the second half, Madrid continued to play offensively to increase the lead. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior had the opportunity to add a goal. However, goalkeeper Antonio Sivera managed to thwart the opportunity.
When under pressure, Alaves was able to take advantage of the hesitation of the Madrid players to equalize through Carlos Vicente in the 68th minute. Receiving the ball from midfielder Antonio Blanco, he managed to get rid of Rudiger's control and fired a shot that defeated Courtois.
The score changed 1-1 and the match got more intense. Alaves almost turned the tide, but Toni Martinez's substitute shot still failed.
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On the other hand, Madrid finally managed to take the lead when Rodrygo broke the Alaves goal in the 76th minute. The goal was created through Vinicius Jr's slick collaboration with Rodrygo. This is the second goal for the Brazilian after playing 32 matches without scoring a goal.
Score 2-1 for Madrid. Alonso's team tried hard to maintain the lead. They also still create opportunities, including an effort from Bellingham. But his efforts failed so that the score did not change until the end of the match.