Real Madrid 2-0 Alaves
Only five more points are needed for Real Madrid in order to secure their first La Liga crown in over three years, and they have three more games to go.
Their La Liga 2020 odds of doing so have increased even further especially after defeating a gritty Alaves squad last night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano last Friday evening.
Goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio have steered Los Blancos to go four points clear of Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table. It was a game where the home team controlled the tempo and the game all night long.
Last night marked Real Madrid’s eight straight win since the restart after the coronavirus-enforced hiatus. Zinedine Zidane’s men have found their swagger as they have yet to lose a game since early March against Real Betis.
Real Madrid continue their hot run of form, which is a clear indicator that the message sent by team boss Zinedine Zidane before was received well by his players.
Besides recording their eight consecutive victory, what’s even more impressive about it is that they’ve managed to notch six clean sheets.
And after this victory, Los Blancos can already smell blood and they will go for the kill. Perhaps it is just a matter of time to where they will bring home the trophy anew at the Bernabeu.
SBOBET presents you last night’s package of La Liga 2020 highlights.
Highlights of the game
With Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal serving their suspensions, and Marcelo and Nacho Fernandez injured, Zinedine Zidane inserted some fresh faces for his backline.
He put in Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, and the now-recovered Raphael Varane at the defence, which is an odd fit on paper.
Eder Militao was just making his ninth start for this campaign while Lucas Vazquez is not really known as a full-back, and Alaves tried to exploit their inexperience early on.
Los Blancos were dealt with a huge scare by Alaves in the fourth minute when Edgar Mendez’s cross found Joselu Sanmartin for a header, but his attempt bounced off the crossbar. And then Casemiro blocked a rebound attempt by Lucas Perez.
In the 10th minute, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty when Ferland Mendy was fouled inside the penalty area by Ximo Navarro after a clumsy challenge.
Since Sergio Ramos was out, it was Karim Benzema who took on the penalty for Real Madrid. And with his low shot on the left side, the Frenchman scored his 18th goal of the season – which is second to only Lionel Messi’s 22.
15 minutes later, Oliver Burke tried to rally El Glorioso. The Scottish winger drew a save from Thibaut Courtois when he dribbled past multiple Real Madrid defenders.
Then a few minutes later, he used his speed to blaze past Lucas Vazquez and Eder Militao, only to see Joselu Sanmartin missed out on an opportunity after failing to convert on the pass.
In the second half, Zinedine Zidane’s men took control of the ball game.
Real Madrid found the back of the net for the second time in the 52nd minute. Karim Benzema broke through an offside trap by Alaves to get to Rodrygo’s through-ball and he passed it cleverly to an open Marco Asensio for the score.
The referees first didn’t count the goal since Benzema was initially deemed at an offside position, but it was eventually overturned after looking at the VAR.
El Glorioso would have one more chance at a goal in the 61st minute when Joselu Sanmartin raced past multiple Los Blancos, but Thibaut Courtois’ fast reflexes secured another clean sheet for his squad.
Key statistics
Real Madrid had this game in the bag with their dominance in the middle and the attack.
Los Blancos controlled 71-per cent of the possession along with six shots on target compared to only one for Alaves.
Karim Benzema is making a late run for the Golden Boot award. He now has 18 goals and eight assists as of this writing.
Alaves were playing their first match under Muniz. Prior to this match, Asier Garitano was sacked by the team management after losing five in a row.
El Glorioso are still in a precarious position in the La Liga table. They are currently placed at 17th and are only three points clear against the 18th-seeded RCD Mallorca.
What’s next?
It’s three more games and five more points for Real Madrid to bring home the crown, and they will face Granada, Villareal, and Leganes next.
As for Alaves, they have a chance to salvage their top-flight status and they’ll have to get the job done against Getafe, Real Betis, and Barcelona.
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