February 19, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid fought hard to a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Alaves at home on Sunday night, but it was enough to move them seven points clear of the chasing pack in La Liga.
Carlo Ancelotti’s squad started strongly, but wilted within half an hour, three days after the shattering disappointment of their listless performance in the last UEFA Champions League loss to PSG.
At the start of the season, Real were up against Alaves, who, despite coach Jose Luis Mendilibar’s high-pressing philosophies, were ready to funnel every set of blue and white stripes behind the ball.
The shortage of counter-attacks by a team that has flourished in transition this season was one of the most vexing parts of Madrid’s sluggish approach against PSG.
Once again, this time on their own grounds at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos sabotaged their own breakaways with a hard touch or a poorly weighted pass on the few openings Alaves provided for Madrid to drive forward quickly.
After a goalless first half, Madrid skulked off to the sounds of whistles ringing across the stands of their stadium especially the area reserved for their home supporters, who had been utterly unimpressed.
After two goalless games in a row, Madrid needed a rocket from Marco Asensio to break the deadlock at home for the second time in a row, scoring the club’s first goal in more than four hours of play.
Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema began to combine with the fluency that had been severely lacking for much of the night after they went ahead. Vinicius proved more clinical in the final ten minutes, crisply finishing following a flurry of one-touch passing from the rejuvenated league leaders.
Ancelotti called up players from his bench for the first time all night after sealing the three points. Rodrygo was one of five introduced substitutes and, though late in the game, he had enough time to win a penalty kick, which Benzema converted in stoppage time.
With all three points, the hosts extended their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points over Sevilla in second place. They will go to Rayo Vallecano next to keep their grip on the title chase. Meanwhile, the visitors’ defeat keeps them in 19th place, four points from safety. They are headed to Getafe next in the hopes of gaining some ground in their struggle against relegation.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
