It's literally the worst tackle.
Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory against Deportivo Alavés in the 31st round of the 2024-25 La Liga away match held on the 13th at the Camp de Football de Mendizorrotza located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It was a tough match, but Real compensated for their loss to Valencia with a smile amidst the chaos.
On that day, Real took the lead with a header from defender Raúl Asensio, a club youth product born in 2003, during a corner kick situation in the 19th minute of the first half. However, the goal was disallowed after a video review (VAR) recognized that Real center-back Antonio Rüdiger pushed Alavés goalkeeper Jesús Blanco before Asensio's header.
Real, who were on the attack, broke down the opponent's defense in the 34th minute with a pass from Federico Valverde to Eduardo Camavinga, who scored with a daring left-footed long-range shot. Just when it seemed they were shaking off the shock of their previous loss to Valencia, a shocking scene unfolded.
The shocking moment came with the ejection of Kylian Mbappé, who has been practically the ace of Real this season. In the 38th minute, he executed an aggressive tackle on opponent Antonio Blanco while applying forward pressure. He struck the opponent's right shin with his studs in a situation where there was no need to directly prevent or tackle an attack.
Immediately, VAR was activated, and after an on-field review, the referee issued a red card to Mbappé, resulting in his ejection. Real, who had been at a numerical disadvantage, was able to finish the game in balance with Alavés's Manu Sánchez also being sent off with a red card in the 70th minute, ending the match at 10 against 10.
Despite the victory, Real faced difficulties in league management due to Mbappé's ejection. With just 7 matches remaining until the end of the season, Real is trailing Barcelona (70 points) with 66 points (20 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses). In the midst of this, their ace was sent off due to a reckless tackle.
Due to the red card ejection, Mbappé faces an immediate one-match suspension, and according to the contents of the referee's report, the minimum suspension period may be extended. If it is extended for 3 more matches, he would miss the cup final against Barcelona, effectively losing all key matches of the season.
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