"Got that dawg in him", "Can retire at this club" - Fans hail Real Madrid star for 'rescuing' club after 1-0 win over Alaves
Real Madrid fans on X (formerly Twitter) hailed Lucas Vazquez after he scored in stoppage time to help his side defeat Deportivo Alaves, 1-0, on Thursday, December 21.
The first half remained evenly contested with neither side having many opportunities to break the deadlock. Fede Valverde's shot across goal in the second minute was arguably Los Blancos' best chance but it was well saved by Antonio Sivera.
Real Madrid suffered a huge blow in the 54th minute after Nacho was given a straight red card for a poor studs-up foul onto the calf of Samu Omorodion. Despite initially being given a yellow, VAR decided to take a look at the challenge before changing its decision.
Alaves took full advantage of being a man-up and were able to hold Carlo Ancelotti's men at bay. Just when it seemed as if they would earn an unlikely point, Lucas Vazquez headed home from a Toni Kroos corner in the 92nd minute to seal all three points.
Real Madrid fans waxed lyrical about Vazquez for his goal and defensive performance. The 32-year-old right-back won 80% of his tackles, made six clearances, won six duels, and made four recoveries. In addition, he completed 47 out of his 53 passes with an accuracy of 89%.
One fan posted:
"I LOVE YOU LUCAS VASQUEZ. YOU CAN RETIRE AT THIS CLUB."
Another fan wrote:
"Lucas Vasquez got that dawg in him man."
Los Blancos are at the top of the La Liga standings with 45 points from 18 games, above Girona on goal difference.
How did Real Madrid fare against Alaves in their La Liga clash?
10-man Real Madrid were able to clutch an impressive 1-0 win against Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Despite being down to 10 men, Carlo Ancelotti and company comfortably dominated possession with 60 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 534 passes, with an accuracy of 91 percent. In contrast, Alaves had 40 percent possession and attempted 342 passes with an accuracy of 82 percent.
Real Madrid were also slightly more threatening up front on the night, registering nine shots in total, with four being on target. Meanwhile, Alaves had eight shots in total, landing two on target, and were unable to make the most of their advantage to grab a winner.