Real Madrid defeat Alaves as Barcelona's Yamal injured scoring penalty

Madrid end four-match winless run while Barcelona forward faces race to be fit for World Cup after hamstring injury.

Real Madrid defeated relegation-threatened Alaves 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, ending a four-match winless streak and closing the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to six points³. Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a deflected shot, while Vinicius Junior added a second goal³. The victory came after Madrid's elimination from the Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich and followed a 2-1 defeat at Mallorca and a 1-1 home draw with Girona³.

Madrid had started slowly, with some supporters jeering as Alaves created early scoring chances³. Mbappe, the league's leading scorer with 24 goals, secured the points before Alaves scored late³. Sections of the crowd also booed after the final whistle³.

Barcelona restored their nine-point advantage the following day with a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo, but the match was overshadowed by an injury to Lamine Yamal⁴⁶. The 18-year-old forward scored from a penalty in the 40th minute but immediately signalled to the bench that he was hurt, clutching the back of his left leg before leaving the field⁴⁵.

Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that Yamal sustained a hamstring injury to his left leg and will miss the remainder of the season⁶. The club said he will follow a conservative treatment plan and is expected to be available for the World Cup⁶. Coach Hansi Flick said after the match that the team would have to wait for scan results⁵.

Yamal is set to make his World Cup debut with Spain when they face Cape Verde in their Group H opener on 15 June⁶. The injury raises concerns for Spain ahead of the tournament, where Yamal was expected to be integral to their campaign⁴⁵.

Barcelona lead Real Madrid by nine points with seven matches remaining in La Liga¹⁶. Third-placed Villarreal are 12 points behind Madrid⁴.