Xabi Alonso saved his role as Real Madrid manager in a 1-2 victory over Alavés in LaLiga, with goals by Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo, who scored his first Liga goal since January 2025, days after breaking a goal drought against Manchester City on Wednesday. The match, however, was controversial when the referee did not awarded a penalty against Vinícius: most critics were made towards VAR, who did not ask the referee to go check the potential penalty.
Asked in the press conference after the match, Alonso said that it seemed to him like a clear penalty. "Vini goes very fast, there's contact... and I'm very surprised it didn't even go to VAR. That said, it doesn't surprise us. We have to move on".
According to As, the club decided that no players would go to the mixed zone to avoid any controversies: the VAR referee of the match, Pablo González Fuertes, said months ago, before the Spanish Cup final, that the referees would "take measures" against the threats against the referees made by the club.
So, to shield the players from making controversial commentaties, it was the official Real Madrid TV who criticised the refereeing: "It was so blatant, so clear, so obvious, so petty, so shameless... They are blatantly harming Real Madrid; the images are there, they leave no room for doubt. González Fuertes should never referee again; he should be banned, he should have been banned since the Copa del Rey final. What he did is unspeakable."
Upcoming Real Madrid games, the final test for Xabi Alonso?
Following a series of defeats and draws, the club was reportedly ready to fire him, and only a solid series of victories will save him. The club has two more matches before the end of the year: against Talavera in Copa del Rey on Wednesday, and against Sevilla in LaLiga on Saturday. The club will return on January 4 against Betis, followed by a crutial test: another derby against Atlético Madrid in Spanish Super Cup on January 8... four months after losing 5-2 to their arch rivals.