Real Madrid defeat Alaves to narrow Barcelona's La Liga lead to six points

Mbappé and Vinícius goals end four-match winless run, but Yamal injury mars Barcelona's response victory.

Real Madrid defeated relegation-threatened Alaves 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, closing the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to six points with seven matches remaining.¹³ Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior each scored for Madrid, ending a four-game winless streak that included elimination from the Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich.³

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a shot that deflected off an Alaves defender and deceived goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.³ The French forward leads the league with 24 goals.³ Vinícius added a second before Alaves pulled one back late in the match.³

The victory came after Madrid's winless run had raised questions about their season, with their last win in any competition occurring a month prior to Tuesday's fixture.¹ The team had drawn 1–1 at home to Girona and lost 2–1 at Mallorca in recent league matches.³ Madrid's defeat to Bayern followed a shock Copa del Rey exit to second-tier Albacete in January.¹

Barcelona restored their nine-point advantage on Wednesday with a narrow win over sixth-placed Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou.⁴ Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona's first goal from a penalty in the 40th minute but immediately signalled to the bench that he was injured, appearing to grab the back of his left leg.⁴ The 18-year-old Spanish international left the field after medical attention and walked to the dressing room unassisted.⁴

Yamal is scheduled to make his World Cup debut with Spain at the 2026 tournament in June.⁴ Barcelona could clinch the title for the second successive year when they host Real Madrid on 10 May with three games remaining.¹ Third-placed Villarreal trail Barcelona by 12 points.⁴