Real Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive on Sunday evening after grinding out a hard-fought 1-0 away victory over Alaves at the Mendizorroza Stadium. The narrow win ensures Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain in close pursuit of league leaders Barcelona as the season approaches its final stretch.

The decisive moment of the match arrived in the 26th minute when French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga produced a moment of magic, curling a beautiful strike into the top corner after combining neatly with teammate Federico Valverde on the edge of the Alaves penalty area. The goal was Camavinga’s first of the league season and came at a critical time for Madrid, who were missing attacking stars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, both rested ahead of the upcoming Champions League quarter-final showdown with Arsenal.

Madrid thought they had taken an early lead when Raul Asencio bundled the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble, but the effort was ruled out after VAR intervened, spotting a foul by Antonio Rudiger on Alaves goalkeeper Jesus Owono in the build-up.

However, the visitors’ joy at Camavinga’s opener was short-lived as star forward Kylian Mbappe was controversially sent off just four minutes later for a reckless tackle on former Madrid youth product Antonio Blanco. Initially shown a yellow card by the referee, the decision was upgraded to a red following a VAR review, leaving Madrid a man down for more than an hour.

Despite the setback, Ancelotti’s men showed impressive defensive resilience and game management, absorbing Alaves’ pressure and looking for opportunities on the counter-attack. The task became slightly easier for Madrid in the 70th minute when Alaves defender Manu Sanchez received a straight red card for a dangerous studs-up challenge on substitute Vinicius Junior, who had entered the fray earlier in the second half to inject pace and creativity.

As both sides battled with 10 men apiece in the closing stages, Madrid stayed organized at the back and held firm to secure three crucial points. The victory sees Los Blancos maintain a four-point deficit behind leaders Barcelona, keeping the La Liga title race alive with just a handful of matches remaining.

Meanwhile, the defeat leaves Alaves hovering precariously above the relegation zone in 17th place, only two points clear of danger as they continue their own battle for survival.