Deportivo Alavés v Real Madrid Live Commentary & Result, 29/10/2016, Primera División

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	RMA Real Madrid	38	29	6	3	106	41	+65	93	W W W W W
2	BAR Barcelona	38	28	6	4	116	37	+79	90	W W W W W
3	ATM Atlético Madrid	38	23	9	6	70	27	+43	78	W D W W L
4	SEV Sevilla	38	21	9	8	69	49	+20	72	W L D L W
5	VIL Villarreal	38	19	10	9	56	33	+23	67	W D L W W
6	RSO Real Sociedad	38	19	7	12	59	53	+6	64	D D D W W
7	ATH Athletic Club	38	19	6	13	53	43	+10	63	L D L W W
8	ESP Espanyol	38	15	11	12	49	50	-1	56	W L W L D
9	ALA Deportivo Alavés	38	14	13	11	41	43	-2	55	D W W W D
10	EIB Eibar	38	15	9	14	56	51	+5	54	L L L W D
11	MAL Málaga	38	12	10	16	49	55	-6	46	L D W W W
12	VAL Valencia	38	13	7	18	56	65	-9	46	L W W L L
13	CEL Celta de Vigo	38	13	6	19	53	69	-16	45	D L L L L
14	LPM Las Palmas	38	10	9	19	53	74	-21	39	L L L L L
15	BET Real Betis	38	10	9	19	41	64	-23	39	D D L L L
16	DEP Deportivo La Coruña	38	8	12	18	43	61	-18	36	W D L D L
17	LEG Leganés	38	8	11	19	36	55	-19	35	D D W L W
18	SPO Sporting Gijón	38	7	10	21	42	72	-30	31	D W W L D
19	OSA Osasuna	38	4	10	24	40	94	-54	22	L W L D L
20	GRA Granada	38	4	8	26	30	82	-52	20	L L L L L

And that will do it here as Madrid clinch another victory to maintain their position at the top of the table. Alaves frustrated them for a long while, but a hat-trick from Ronaldo settled any nerves and made it only one win in seven games for tonight's hosts. That's it from us, thanks for tuning in!

Morata sets Ronaldo on his way to goal as he searches for his fourth goal, but Pacheco, in unorthodox fashion, dribbles into the Portuguese and makes the save while standing upright.

Marcelo

Assist

Amazing second half from him.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Goal

AND THAT'S FOUR FOR MADRID! Ronaldo gets his hat-trick after a sumptuous passing move that involved Morata and Marcelo, as they carve Alaves apart for the finish.

Lucas Vázquez

G. Bale

Bale is off an on comes Lucas Vazquez.

N. Krstičić

Yellow Card

Poor Krsticic has not enjoyed a good game since coming on, conceding a penalty on Ronaldo, and now he gets booked for a foul on the same player.

Marcelo

Assist

Quite a stunning assist from the full-back.

Álvaro Morata

Goal

TREMENDOUS GOAL! Marcelo clips an outstanding pass from his own half for Morata, who lets the ball bounce before lifting an excellent finish over Pacheco! That should surely do it.

C. Santos

D. Torres

Torres heads off for Santos.

Despite that missed penalty, it's been a good upturn in tempo from the away side in the last few minutes. Their full-backs have managed to find more space on the overlap and cause problems.

Kiko Femenía

Yellow Card

Kiko is booked for approaching the referee after a call went against his side.

Fernando Pacheco

Penalty Save

PACHECO MAKES THE SAVE! Ronaldo goes for the same corner again, but this time, the keeper guesses correctly and gets a strong hand to the spot-kick! Hat-trick denied!

Cristiano Ronaldo

Penalty Miss

Penalty Miss Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

PENALTY TO MADRID! They were getting nothing from open play, but from a corner, Ronaldo was pulled back by the substitute Krsticic, and the referee did not hesitate to point to the spot!

Nothing much of note happening out on the pitch as Alaves are doing a good job of frustrating Madrid, but not so much when it comes to creating their own shooting opportunities.

The chances continue to come at an absolute premium, although there's some concern for Navas as he collided with an attacker when coming off his line to claim the ball. He seems to be alright to continue though.

Kroos does excellently to slide the ball between two defenders, but they recover in time to put Morata off his finish, as the substitute was about to latch onto the ball inside the area with only the keeper to beat.

There's an audible gasp from teh crowd as Ronaldo takes aim at the far post with an ambitious volley, but the Portuguese can't keep his effort down. That would have sealed it with a flourish.

Alaves started this game with five at the back, and it appears to be doing the trick in the second period in terms of limiting the space on the flanks for the likes of Bale and Marcelo to combine in.

A. Katai

Édgar Méndez

Katai has been summoned for Edgar.

Álvaro Morata

K. Benzema

Morata is called upon to replace Benzema.

Marcelo gets harried by two players then gets bailed out by the referee's whistle. Alaves keep the pressure on though, and nearly sneak a pass through to Deyverson, but it's intercepted.

Madrid continue to struggle to get the ball into good positions in the final third, with Alaves turning on their pressing to good effect. Far from comfortable here for Zidane's labouring team.

N. Krstičić

Manu García

Krsticic is summoned from the bench in place of Manu Garcia.

G. Bale

Yellow Card

Bale takes a piece out of Kiko and is booked.

Camarasa has twice been active and enterprising on the ball in the second half to create scoring chances, but Alaves haven't got him on the ball since that one feed for Deyverson.

The second half has hardly been something to get the fans out of their seats. Alaves im particular look in need of a little shake up, and Pellegrino may be looking to his bench soon.

Kovacic, who has marshaled the midfield excellently for Madrid in this game, puts Ronaldo through at an angle, but the Portuguese isn't close to completing his hat-trick as it sails over the top.

T. Hernández

Yellow Card

Hernandez is shown a yellow card.

Camarasa is once again accomplished on the ball in teh final third to tee up Deyverson for a shot from the edge of the area, but the striker slips at the vital moment. It still needs two bites of the cherry from Navas to save it though.

Madrid get back on top in terms of possession, but aren't creating much space in the second half. They're still chasing that killer third goal, but since the restart, Alaves look the more likely to score.

ALAVES NEARLY TIE THINGS UP! Camarasa's footwork gets him into the area, but his low attempt at a finish past Navas is saved in some style by the keeper! Good start to the second half.

Here we go again!

And that will do it for the opening half, with Madrid overcoming an early Deyverson opener to take the lead thanks to a double from Ronaldo, with one of them coming from the spot. It's not been a game to set the pulses racing, but there's a sense that it will be close right ot the end. Stay tuned.

Tepid end to the opening half here as Alaves are focused on not conceding ,with Madrid in no hurry to push the tempo. Zidane will be satisfied, but not exactly smiling at the performance in the opening period.

Nice possession from the visitors ends when Ronaldo's attempted stab down the line is taken away from him by Raul Garcia, but Madrid can keep the pressure in the opposition half with a throw-in.

Nice defence by Kovacic to snuff out an attack and recover possession, but the Croatian can't quite carry that momentum forward to spark a counter-attack. Under five minutes to go until the break.

D. Torres

Yellow Card

Torres recieves a yellow card for getting his hand into the face of Isco. Not quite the malicious elbow that the Madrid man appeared to be claiming, but still enough for a yellow.

Madrid have looked a lot better when attacking on the break, as some of their build-up play has been ponderous and uninspired. This lead is not secure, and Zidane will want a third goal.

Just a little over half-hour played here and Ronaldo is already sitting on a hat-trick. Alaves will want to be careful here, as conceding a third goal before half-time could be a critical blow.

K. Benzema

Assist

Benzema played a role in the build-up.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Goal

STINGER FROM RONALDO! The Portuguese is back among the goals with a literal bang, as he strides from the left to the centre, before whacking one into the corner via a slight deflection of Feddal!

The "Ole's" rain down from the stands after an extended period of Alaves possession, which ends when a moment of miscommunication between Navas and Varane is erroneously awarded as a goal-kick instead of a corner.

Hernandez continues to be a thorn in Madrid's side down the left flank, as he storms to the byline once again, with his low cross deflected out for a corner by Varane. Good game from the Atletico loanee.

Good hold-up play by Edgar out wide, but he can't beat Varane for pace or trickery in the end. Still, Alaves have done well not to rest on their laurels, and continue to keep the Madrid defence honest.

Close call there for Alaves as a low cross seemed destined for Ronaldo at the back post, but the Portuguese isn't as fortunate as Deyverson earlier, as this time, a defender cuts off the cross.

Alaves look good when getting the ball high into the area, with Real Madrid not exactly adept at clearing them properly.

Nacho

Pepe

Early worries for Zidane as Pepe limps off the field, in no shape to play a further part in this game. He'll be replaced by Nacho.

PENALTY? Hernandez makes a great overlapping ron down the outside of Danilo, and appears to have done enough to beat him. but he's upended by a challenge which is correctly deemed clean.

Madrid continue to dominate the ball against a side who are happy to keep a deep defensive line and invite the pressure on themselves, presumably with a hope to catch them on the counter.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Penalty Goal

RONALDO TIES IT UP! The Portuguese makes no mistake, lashing a low spot-kick into the net, with the keeper diving the wrong way! We're all square again.

Deyverson

Yellow Card

PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! The visitors have a free-kick that Bale lashes towards goal. It deflects off the wall - or more specifically, the raised elbow of Deyverson, who made no effort to keep it down.

Narrow offside here against Bale as he raced onto Kovacic's pass, but it was the correct decision by the officials. Alaves breathe a sigh of relief as the Welshman was completely through!

That Alaves goal is probably the best thing that could have happened to this game, as it will force Madrid out of their shell earlier than expected, which should presumably leave space at the back on the break.

That one came absolutely out of nowhere, and it shows how important concentration at the back is for top teams that typically dominate possession. I still can't get over it though - what was Varane doing?

T. Hernández

Assist

Great run and cross, but Varane really should have cut it out.

Deyverson

Goal

ALAVES OPEN THE SCORING! Deyverson can't believe his luck as a low cross slides past the static Varane, allowing the Brazilian the time to control and finish at the back post for the lead!

There's a fair bit of space on the flanks for Real Madrid, which is surprising, given that Alaves have clearly set up their formation here to limit such an occurrence. No chances as of yet though.

Real Madrid start the match immediately on the front foot here. They've looked dangerous from an early set-piece and the home side just have to hold their nerve for the moment.

Off we go!

Zinedine Zidane names a strong XI after midweek action in the cup, with their regular front three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale starting. Dani Carvajal is suspended though, meaning that Danilo plays at right-back.

Deyverson partners Edga Mendez in a defensive 5-3-2 formation from the home side after their 3-0 loss to Real Sociedad. Marcos Llorente plays no part here due to his ineligibility against his parent club.

Real Madrid subs: Nacho, James, Casila, Coentrao, Lucas Vazquez, Asenio, Morata.

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Kovacic, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Alaves subs: Santos, Ortola, Espinoza, Torquero, Vigaray, Krsticic, Katai.

Alaves (5-3-2): Pacheco; Kiko Femenia, Alexis, Feddal, Raul Garcia, Hernandez; Camarasa, Manu Garcia, Torres; Deyverson, Mendez.

There's hardly room to breathe at the top of the table, with only three points separating Madrid from Villarreal in fifth place. In fact, these two teams are the only unbeaten sides left in the top flight.

Alaves' return to the Spanish top flight for the first time in 10 seasons has gone relatively well, as they currently sit in 10th place, and can count Barcelona among their scalps this campaign.

Hello and welcome to our live commentary of the Liga clash between Alaves and Real Madrid. The hosts have won only one game in their last six, and face the league leaders, who have scored 20 goals in a four-game winning streak.

Deportivo Alavés v Real Madrid Live Commentary, 29/10/2016

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