Rodrygo scrapes Real victory at Alaves

Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo’s goals earned Real Madrid a tense 2-1 win at Alaves in La Liga on Sunday to potentially keep coach Xabi Alonso in his job.

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Second-placed Madrid trimmed league leaders Barcelona's advantage back to four points and recorded only their third victory in the last nine games across all competitions.

After a home defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, Spanish media reported that anything but a victory would cost Alonso his position.

After Mbappe’s superb opener, Carlos Vicente pulled Alaves level in the second half, but Rodrygo secured the visitors a much-needed victory at Mendizorroza stadium.

“Itwas a hard-fought game, we competed well, got in front and then lost a bit of control,” Alonso told reporters. “Alaves play with a lot of intensity, it’s hard to dominate throughout. We came here to win and we got the three points.”