Kylian Mbappé scored in the 30th minute and Real Madrid led Alavés 1-0 at half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
The opening 45 minutes were a concentrated burst of events. Andrii Lunin kept Alavés off the scoresheet with a first-half save from a right-footed shot by Toni Martínez; Martínez also struck the left post with a right-footed effort from the centre of the box. Éder Militão hit the crossbar with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box before he was substituted because of an injury and replaced by Antonio Rüdiger. Aurélien Tchouaméni picked up a yellow card, and the fourth official indicated six minutes of added time before the half ended.
Those concrete moments framed a tight first half: Mbappé’s finished chance produced the only goal, but Alavés had two clear opportunities that tested Real Madrid’s goalkeeper and the woodwork. Militão’s shot that struck the crossbar and his subsequent injury forced a defensive change before the interval, leaving Real Madrid with a 1-0 cushion as the teams walked to the tunnel.
Context for the fixture: this was a La Liga match between Real Madrid and Alavés. Managing Madrid listed Real Madrid’s starting XI as Lunin, Trent, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras, Tchouameni, Valverde, Güler, Bellingham, Vinicius, and Mbappé. Al Jazeera noted that Real Madrid had won all 15 of their home matches played on a Tuesday in La Liga — a 100% win rate on that calendar slot that hangs over matches at the Bernabeu.
The tension after 45 minutes is straightforward. Real Madrid led but had surrendered two high-quality openings to Alavés — Lunin’s save and Martínez’s strike off the post are explicit evidence — and the defence was changed when Militão came off with an injury, replaced by Rüdiger. Those facts create a clear fault line: a single-goal lead, a defender withdrawn for injury, and early warning signs that the visitors can create chances.
What comes next is the decisive half of the match. The second half will determine whether the one-goal advantage holds and whether Real Madrid can navigate the remainder of the match with Rüdiger slotting into the back line. For Mbappé, who produced the 30th-minute breakthrough, the question is whether he can supply another decisive touch; for the team, the question is whether the margin and personnel change are enough to preserve Real Madrid’s result at the Santiago Bernabeu and keep pace with the club’s perfect Tuesday home record.
