Vazquezs Late Winner Lifts Madrid to LaLiga Summit at Alaves

Vazquezs Late Winner Lifts Madrid to LaLiga Summit at Alaves

Lucas Vazquez secured a 92nd-minute victory for 10-man Real Madrid, propelling them to the summit of LaLiga with a 1-0 triumph over Alaves on Thursday.

Vazquez, the defender, nodded in a decisive goal that elevated Madrid above Girona to claim the top spot after the surprise contenders were held to a 1-1 draw against Real Betis earlier in the day.

Even before Madrid’s defender Nacho Fernandez received a red card 10 minutes into the second half, the Basque hosts Alaves presented a formidable challenge, frustrating the Spanish giants.

As the clock approached injury time in the second half, it seemed that Girona would lead LaLiga into 2024 following Madrid’s draw. However, the 32-year-old Vazquez had different plans.

In the dying moments, experienced German midfielder Toni Kroos delivered a corner, and Vazquez marked his first goal of the season with a decisive free header. This victory propelled Los Blancos to the top of the table on goal difference, leading the standings before LaLiga takes a break until January 2.

In Seville, Artem Dovbyk’s first-half penalty, his 11th goal of the season, initially positioned Girona for their fourth consecutive win and ninth victory in their last 10 matches.

However, German Pezzella, a World Cup winner with Argentina, leveled the score with two minutes to spare, extending Betis’ unbeaten run to 13 games, nine of which have resulted in draws.

Girona, partially owned by the proprietors of Manchester City, dropped points for only the fourth time in 18 games this season.

Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga showcased a smart double save from Willian Jose and Ayoze Perez in the first half, but the visitors struck back after Savio was fouled in the area by Aitor Ruibal.

Dovbyk calmly converted the spot-kick, maintaining his impressive debut season in Spain. However, Girona, in an unexpected title push in only their fourth top-flight season, failed to clear a late corner, allowing Pezzella to slam the loose ball beyond Gazzaniga.

In other matches, Real Mallorca secured just their third win of the season, beating Osasuna 3-2 and placing themselves five points clear of the relegation zone.

Thursday’s Results:

Real Betis 1 (Pezzella 88) Girona 1 (Dovbyk 39-pen)
Cadiz 0 Real Sociedad 0
Real Mallorca 3 (Nastasic 12, D. Rodriguez 53, Raillo 62) Osasuna 2 (Ibanez 7, Raul 90+1)
Alaves 0 Real Madrid 1 (Vazquez 90+2)