VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain - Defending champions Real Madrid secured a nervy 1-0 win at relegation-threatened Deportivo Alaves in LaLiga on Sunday after a reckless foul by Kylian Mbappe had them reduced to 10 men late in the first half.
Eduardo Camavinga gave Real the lead in the 34th minute, scoring from outside the box with a brilliant curled shot, after an earlier goal by Raul Asencio was ruled out following a VAR check.
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Mbappe's violent tackle on Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco left Real a man down before halftime. The player count, however, was level in the second half after Vinicius Jr was subjected to a similar foul by Manu Sanchez, who also was sent off.
Second-placed Real have 66 points from 31 games and are four points behind leaders Barcelona, who edged Leganes 1-0 on Saturday.
Real, who on Tuesday were handed a shock 3-0 loss at Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, have struggled in all competitions this month as they still try to cut the gap to Barca.
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They were without suspended manager Carlo Ancelotti after the Italian saw his fifth yellow card in the loss to Valencia last weekend. He watched from the stands as Real were managed by his son and assistant coach Davide Ancelotti.
Two reds
With Spain's national team coach Luis de la Fuente present, defender Asencio thought he put Real in front after 19 minutes, nodding home from a corner.
His goal was chalked off after a VAR review showed that Asencio supported himself on an Alaves defender when scoring, while Antonio Ruediger knocked down goalkeeper Jesus Owono seconds prior in the same play.
Camavinga gave Real the lead 15 minutes later, scoring inside the left post after a smart one-two with Federico Valverde.
It was the midfielder's first league goal since March 2022.
But things got tricky for the visitors in the 38th minute when Mbappe was shown a straight red for taking down Blanco as the referee overturned his initial decision of booking him with a yellow after consulting with VAR.
Alaves managed to swing possession in their favor after the restart, and forward Carlos Martin put Thibaut Courtois to work with his low strike from outside the area during a threatening spell by the hosts.
READ MORE: Mbappe double secures Real Madrid 2-1 win at Villarreal
It was, however, 10 versus 10 after Alaves defender Sanchez also saw red for fouling Vinicius, and Owono denied Jude Bellingham late on from close range.
