Madrid win in Vitoria with a Camavinga goal

Real Madrid secured three important points against Alavés in Vitoria. A first-half Camavinga goal secured victory for the Whites. Ancelotti's men gave a very solid performance, in which they played more than half an hour with one man less after Mbappé’s sending off in the 38th minute and then Manu Sánchez’s in the 70th. 

Our team started strongly in Mendizorroza and chances soon materialised. After 9 minutes, Rüdiger's long, yet precise, ball in behind found Arda Güler, who was one-on-one with Owono, but he couldn’t connect with the pass. In his attempt to prevent the chance, the goalkeeper made contact with the Turkish player, but Soto Grado did not consider it a penalty.

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Another controversial moment came in the 18th minute, with Asencio putting the ball in the net from a corner after some Rodrygo brilliance. It was the Brazilian who took the resulting corner and the academy product finished at the back post, but Soto Grado, after going to the monitor after having been alerted by VAR referee Gil Manzano, disallowed the goal for an earlier foul by Rüdiger on the goalkeeper.

Camavinga scores
Our team took the lead after the half-hour mark when Valverde combined with Camavinga on the edge of the area and the Frenchman made it 0-1 with a precise finish. Alavés reacted and could have equalized in the 36th minute with a Carlos Vicente shot that flashed just wide of the target. The game turned on its head two minutes later when Mbappé was sent off after a tackle on Blanco. The Frenchman was initially shown the yellow card, but, after reviewing the incident on the monitor having been alerted by the VAR referee, Soto Grado showed the striker a red card.

Solidity
After the break, Madrid emerged solidly in defense of the 0-1 lead with numeric parity coming in the 70th minute - after a long ball to Vini Jr., the Brazilian was on the receiving end of a strong tackle from Manu Sánchez, who was the last man for the home side. Soto Grado did not award a foul, but after reviewing the action on the monitor, he gave the Alavés player a straight red card. A minute later, Valverde could have widened the gap with a shot from the edge of the area that very nearly caught Owono off guard. Bellingham had a clearer chance in the 89th minute, but he couldn't beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one. In added time, Ceballos entered the fray after his absence due to injury. Three points and now to think about the match against Arsenal.