David Alaba had one of his worst nights as a footballer for Real Madrid, and probably as a professional footballer, directly responsible for three of the four goals scored by Real Sociedad in the second leg of the semifinals of the Copa del Rey that almost cost the Whites the tie.
Alaba seeks to recover his form
After 399 days out with the serious knee injury he suffered last season, David Alaba returned to play in January, and over the last two months he has been getting minutes in order to recover his form, but he is still a long way from the level he was at before his injury.
Against Real Sociedad he had another chance to start, giving Rudiger a rest, who is flirting with muscle injuries after the demanding season he has had to play in due to the team’s injuries. However, between bad luck and (negatively) helped by a team that has forgotten how to defend, he starred in one of the worst nights of his sporting career, a real blow for a veteran footballer who is looking to prove himself and wants to show once again that he can continue to defend the Real Madrid shirt.
He was involved in 3 of the 4 goals conceded
It is true that David Alaba is gradually regaining his form, he is looking more and more like the undisputed central defender of Real Madrid, something logical with every minute and every training session he accumulates, but misfortune took hold of him against Real Sociedad and it could have cost the team dearly, and probably him too.
To score an own goal is bad luck, but to score two in eight minutes and for the rival to turn the tie around with ten minutes left in the game is a nightmare. It is true that Mikel Oyarzabal got the second goal, but the fact is that David Alaba completely changed the trajectory of the ball in front of the shot from the Spanish international, hitting Lunin’s right-hand post, making it impossible for the Ukrainian and for any goalkeeper in the world. In the first there is no doubt, a pass back from the San Sebastian striker that hits between Alaba’s legs and slips under Lunin’s legs (also bad luck).
But Real Madrid overcame this with two goals in the next six minutes that seemed to presage a direct pass to the final, in a new comeback that seemed historic for the Whites. But in the 94th minute, a free kick from Take Kubo was headed in again by Oyarzabal, with an Alaba who was more aware of the attacker than the ball, and who in the end lost sight of both. Of course, Lunin can’t be absolved of responsibility, as he missed the cross. But the truth is that Alaba was once again in the goal photo that took the game into injury time.
A bittersweet ending
Luckily for Alaba, Real Madrid managed to score the goal that saw them through in extra time, just five minutes from the end of the extra period, and leaves the Austrian’s performance as an anecdote and a series of bad luck that can be forgiven knowing where he comes from and what is expected of him. But nobody is going to take Alaba out of the picture, and the footballer has work to do if he wants to prove that he is still capable of being a reliable central defender for Real Madrid. The noise in Valdebebas about the signing of a central defender for next season is incessant, Huijsen, among others, is being heard, and performances like yesterday’s do not help to silence the speculation.