Mbappé is shown a red card by referee Cesar Soto Grado
Kylian Mbappe was sent off for the first time in his Real Madrid career, but the Spanish giants held on for a hard-fought 1-0 win over Alaves to stay within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Mbappe received a straight red after VAR intervened, upgrading his initial yellow for a high challenge on Antonio Blanco. The dismissal came just four minutes after Eduardo Camavinga had opened the scoring with a superb left-footed strike from outside the box.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made six crucial saves to keep Madrid ahead, while Alaves were also reduced to 10 men after Manu Sanchez’s high tackle on Vinicius Jr in the 70th minute.
Vinicius and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, likely rested ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League clash with Arsenal. Both came on in the second half but Madrid managed just one shot on target after the break.
Despite the nervy finish, the win keeps Carlo Ancelotti’s side in striking distance of Barcelona, who edged Leganes 1-0 on Saturday. Mbappe will miss next weekend’s clash with Athletic Bilbao, with the El Clásico title decider looming on May 11.