Striker Kylian Mbappe extended his scoring streak with a sixth goal in five games as Real Madrid bҽat Alaves 3-2, closing the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona, ​​who play on Wednesday.

Mbappe’s seventh goal since joining Real Madrid was a fine strike, as the Frenchman started a combination with Jude Bellingham with a backheel and then picked up a pass in the box, then used a deft move to bҽat a defender before slotting home in the 40th minute.

Last year Lucas Vazquez scored & made Alaves’s manager throw the funniest tantrum, & now he scored again within a minute of the game 😂😂😂

Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo also scored for Real Madrid, who extended their unbeaten run in La Liga to 39 games – with 29 wins and 10 draws since September last year. Alaves rallied late on, scoring through Carlos Benavidez in the 85th and Garcia in the 86th, but were unable to equalise despite having several chances in the final minutes. “We played a great game for 80 minutes, but in the end we suffered more than we should have,” said Vazquez.

The win closed the gap on leaders Barca to one point, but the gap could be widened if Barca win their seventh straight match when they host winless Getafe on Wednesday. However, coach Carlo Ancelotti was cautious in his 300th game in charge of Real Madrid, playing mostly regular starters and remaining reticent to rotate his squad despite the busy schedule. That will pose a fitness challenge when Real Madrid next travel to Atletico in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano on Sunday.

In other news, Sevilla midfielder Saul Niguez was stretchered off with a leg injury early in the second half of their 2-1 home win over Valladolid. Chidera Ejuke scored the winner in the 85th minute to give Sevilla their second win in their last three La Liga games. Valladolid’s only win of the season came in their opening game against Espanyol.