Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé issued an apology following his red card for a reckless tackle during their tense 1-0 victory over Alavés in LaLiga, as confirmed by assistant coach Davide Ancelotti. The French forward's dismissal in the 38th minute came shortly after Madrid had taken the lead through Eduardo Camavinga's goal, evening the player count in the second half after Vinícius Júnior was also sent off.
The win was crucial for Madrid in their pursuit of Barcelona in the LaLiga title race, with suspended coach Carlo Ancelotti watching from the sidelines. Mbappé's red card, his first since joining Madrid, adds uncertainty to his availability for upcoming league matches against Athletic Club and Getafe, as well as the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. The incident compounded Madrid's challenging week, which included a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Champions League.
Despite the setback, Ancelotti emphasized the importance of unity and maximum effort from the team moving forward. The match was marred by unsavory chants from the crowd directed at Madrid's Raúl Asencio, prompting a brief pause, with Ancelotti expressing disappointment and deferring action to the referee.