Two important players got into a furious argument during a Real Madrid training session, which was an unexpected turn of events.  Fans are scratching their heads about the altercation between midfielder Jude Bellingham and central defender Antonio Rüdiger.

According to renowned journalist Edu Aguirre, the dispute was a heated argument rather than just a small argument.  “Bellingham and Rüdiger had a serious altercation, a real row,” Aguirre said.  In sports, such confrontations are not unusual, but this one has greater significance given the impending Champions League matchup with Arsenal.  After a foul, the two players exchanged angry words, which escalated the situation and led to intervention to keep them apart.

Real Madrid was preoccupied with their most recent league game, which they won by a slim margin against Deportivo Alavés, as this scenario played out.  They won by a narrow margin as part of their continuous effort to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.

 Coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to rest Vinícius and Bellingham in order to focus on the crucial Champions League match, starting Arda Güler and Aurélien Tchouaméni instead.  With a near-goal early in the game, Güler nearly had an instant effect.  Just eight minutes into his promising run, he found himself one-on-one with Alavés goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who stopped the attempt despite a contentious penalty demand from the Madrid team.

When Raúl Asencio’s header struck the back of the net in the eighteenth minute, the referee again stepped in to break up the tension, but the score was disallowed after a VAR review proved Rüdiger had fouled Owono.

 The European champions persisted in the face of these defeats and, after 30 minutes, broke the impasse.  After a deft one-two with Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga scored a flawless left-footed goal after Güler’s ingenious through pass.

Alavés attempted to take advantage of their numerical advantage in the second half through headers from Kike García and Carlos Martín.  Even though he didn’t score, Vinícius was crucial in securing the victory as Bellingham and Vinícius returned to the game for Madrid in pursuit of a game-winning goal.