Kylian Mbappe struck for the fourth consecutive game as Real Madrid survived a late scare to beat Alaves 3-2 in La Liga on Tuesday.
Real Madrid, second, cut the gap on Barcelona to one point before the leaders host Getafe on Wednesday.
Madrid dismantled Alaves with goals from Lucas Vazquez, Mbappe and Rodrygo before a late salvo from the visitors rocked Carlo Ancelottiās side.
Carlos Protesoni and Kike Garcia scored two goals in two minutes in the final stages but Madrid held on.
āThis is football, you can think the game has finished, (then thereās) a small slip and they score the first, they get confidence and you lose it, this is what happens,ā Ancelotti told reporters.
āObviously we donāt want this to happen, but it can.
āWe have to highlight that for an hour the team played well and that gives us confidence.ā
Los Blancos overpowered Alaves from the start in what was a hugely uneven contest for most of the game, despite the Basque sideās solid start to the season.
Ancelotti brought Vinicius Junior back into the starting line-up and gave Vazquez a rare start and the pair combined inside the first minute.
The Brazilian winger surged in from the left flank and cut the ball back for a simple finish from Vazquez.
Ancelotti said Monday he wanted more intensity at the outset of matches after Madrid had scored just one first half goal this season in La Liga or the Champions League, and his demand was swiftly met.
Los Blancos dominated with Alaves barely reaching Thibaut Courtoisā penalty box.
Despite that Madridās second goal only came five minutes before the interval, when Mbappe and Jude Bellingham combined beautifully.
Fifth league goal for Mbappe –
France captain Mbappe conjured a clever flicked pass to the England international, who completed a one-two by sending his team-mate through on goal.
Mbappe took two deft touches to shake his marker and get a sight of goal, before stroking home clinically for his fifth league goal.
Rodrygo expanded Madridās lead soon after the interval, roaming in with freedom from the right and firing through Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Siveraās legs.
Teenage Brazilian striker Endrick hit the post with a deflected effort and Abde Rebbach also struck the woodwork as Alaves made a rare foray forward.
Madrid substitute Endrick, 18, was fortunate not to be dismissed when he kicked out at Alaves defender Santiago Mourino.
Mbappe was taken off after 80 minutes and appeared to be suffering some discomfort, holding the back of his thigh.
āHeās fine, heās fine, a little overloaded, he asked me for the change to avoid problems,ā explained Ancelotti.
The visitors pulled one back after 85 minutes when Protesoni curled home a sweet strike from the edge of the box.
Protesoni then turned provider with a fine ball over the top which Kike Garcia fired home well.
Madrid hung on for the victory, their 39th consecutive league game unbeaten in Ancelottiās 300th game at the helm across two spells at the club, ahead of Sundayās derby clash with Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.
The Rojiblancosā stadium was where they last tasted defeat in the top flight, exactly a year ago.
āIām happy for the win,ā Vazquez told Real Madrid TV. āI think we had a great game until the 80th minute, when two mistakes cost us two goals against us, and we had to suffer more than we should have.
āWith the game that we played, we didnāt deserve that ending.ā
Tempers frayed at full time when Ancelotti confronted the referee, seemingly unhappy with a few of his players being booked while some of Alavesā tough tackling went unpunished.
āFair or unfair, we have to adapt to the new rules,ā a calmer Ancelotti said later, as several of his players were carded for protesting decisions.
Alaves coach Luis Garcia Plaza was also angry at full-time after Endrick got away with lashing out.
āThe Endrick incident should have been a red card, we should have played the last 10 minutes with an extra player,ā said the coach.
āItās red, thereās nothing more to it, I wonāt speak more about this topic.ā
Diego Simeoneās Atletico visit Celta Vigo on Thursday among other fixtures.
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 3 weeks agoVinicius says Spain should lose 2030 World Cup unless racism declines
Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior has called for Spain to be stripped of its 2030...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoRights groups demand release of jailed Qatar World Cup ex-staffer
Human rights groups on Wednesday called for the release of Abdullah Ibhais, a former...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoNew Jersey governor says 2026 World Cup will be ‘incredibly safe’
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Sunday promised the 2026 World Cup will be...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 5 months agoSaudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco and world football governing body FIFA on Thursday...
By AFP