Real Madrid regain their balance with a hard-fought win over Alavés in LaLiga

Real Madrid reconciled their fans after the disappointment of their Champions League exit by beating Deportivo Alavés 2-1 on Tuesday night in the match that brought them together in the 32nd round of La Liga.

Real Madrid raised their tally to 73 points, to remain six points away from leaders Barcelona, who host Celta Vigo on Wednesday, while Alavés' balance is frozen at 33 points in 17th place, just one point behind the relegation places.

The first few minutes saw tension in the stands at the Santiago Bernabéu, with fans booing Vinicius Jr. and Álvaro Carreras, in a clear reflection of their anger after the European elimination against Bayern Munich.

But the atmosphere gradually calmed down after Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the 30th minute, with a low shot that hit a defender and changed its direction towards the net. Real Madrid suffered a blow before half-time with defender Eder Militão injured, leaving the pitch and replacing Antonio Rudiger.

At the start of the second half, Vinicius Jr. restored the confidence of the fans with a second goal with a shot from outside the box in the 50th minute, before Tony Martinez reduced the deficit for Alavés in the final minute of stoppage time.

With this win, Real Madrid regain some of their composure ahead of the crucial stages of the season, while Alavés continue to struggle to escape the relegation places.