Madrid, Spain – After losing against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League, Real Madrid faced Deportivo Alaves on Saturday in La Liga play to prepare for their rematch against PSG. A thrilling match in a full capacity Santiago Bernabeu ended with a 3-0 win for the No. 1 placed Madrid.
Real Madrid was attacking for all 90 minutes of the game. Madrid had 21 total shots, most coming from Karim Benzema, their leading scorer.
Los Blancos held possession for most of the first half, trying to convert the first goal with a tap-in attempt. Most of the Madrid wingers and fullbacks were passing each other to find themselves in the opposing box, but all their attempts were unsuccessful.
Alaves is still in a relegation battle with 20 points in their last 25 games played this season. Their defense was sloppy from the beginning, and their mistakes led Madrid to score the first goal of the game. Marco Asensio received the ball from the opposition after Alaves defender Jason gave the ball away, allowing Asensio to score in the 63rd minute with an impressive shot from outside the box. Then, 15 minutes later, Madrid continued their tap-in tries with Vinicius Junior finally scoring another goal.
Madrid defender Dani Carvajal had high praise for his coach after the game.
“My decision-making in Paris wasn’t the best, but I am very calm. The coach trusted me today after that game, so that’s very appreciated,” said Madrid defender Dani Carvajal. “Marco has us used to these great goals. The second goal looks like a video game play. Every day I see them training so I’m not surprised.”
Karim Benzema
Benzema may be the best player in Spain this year. He finished No. 3 in the Ballon D’ Or voting this year, was the top scorer this season and finished No. 2 in assists. The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo left a huge role for the French striker who admired Ronaldo’s goal skills, but allowed him to become the new superstar for the team.
Benzema scored the last goal of the game from via a penalty. It was his first goal since January as he continues to be the record goalscorer.
“Tonight, was a good reaction after the PSG game. It’s always nice when all of your front three scores. We talked about increasing our intensity in games. It’s a weakness that we’re going to fix. The only game that we started well was back in December against Bilbao,” said Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Next Fixtures
Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid, Saturday, February 26, Estadio de Vallecas, Spain.
Getafe vs. Deportivo Alaves, Saturday, February 26, Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, Getafe, Madrid, Spain.
