Mbappé scores in his return from injury as Madrid beats Alaves in boost for Alonso

MADRID (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored in his return from injury on Sunday, leading Real Madrid to a 2-1 win at Alaves in the Spanish league to relieve some of the pressure on coach Xabi Alonso.

Rodrygo also scored as Madrid moved back within four points of leader Barcelona, which beat Osasuna 2-0 on Saturday.

Madrid had won only two of its last eight games in all competitions and was coming off a 2-1 home loss to Manchester City in the Champions League, prompting jeers from fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

“We are together in this, we keep fighting in the good and the bad moments,” Alonso said. “The team competed well today. We started well and came away with the three points. It's fundamental to be united, it's the only way to remain solid and improve day-to-day.”

Mbappé, who missed Madrid's match against City on Wednesday because of a minor injury, scored his 26th goal of the season for Madrid in all competitions after a good run on the left, passing a defender before firing into the top corner from just inside the area in the 24th minute.

Alaves equalized through Carlos Vicente in a 68th-minute breakaway, but Rodrygo put the visitors ahead again from close range after a run and assist by Vinícius Júnior.

It was Rodrygo’s second goal of the season. He had scored for Madrid against City to end a nine-month scoring drought with the club.

Vinícius Júnior hugged Alonso after the goal in a rare show of public support by the Brazilian toward the former Madrid player. The gesture came after media reports said the coach had lost the locker room.

Alaves, which stayed in 12th place, was coming off a win against Sociedad.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois earned his 200th victory in 310 appearances with Madrid since he arrived in 2018. Defender Antonio Rüdiger played in his 100th Spanish league match with the club.

Alonso used 19-year-old Víctor Valdepeñas, from Madrid's “B” team, in the left back position because of injuries to the regular starters.

Second-to-last Oviedo fired coach Luis Carrión after a 4-0 loss at Sevilla.

The result extended Oviedo's winless streak to 10 matches in all competitions. Oviedo hasn't won since a 2-1 victory at Valencia in the Spanish league in September.

Carrión leaves with Oviedo on 10 points from 16 matches.

Sevilla moved to ninth place with 20 points.

Celta Vigo won its first home game of the season in the league by beating seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao 2-0.

The result moved the Vigo club to eighth place, one point behind Athletic.

Nico Williams missed a late penalty kick for Athletic.

The game between Levante and Villarreal originally scheduled for Sunday was postponed because of heavy rain in the Valencia region. The league said it made the decision after safety recommendations made by local authorities amid a weather alert issued in the region.

Villarreal was in third place and has won six in a row in the league. Levante was last and has lost five straight league matches.

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Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, left, watches as players challenge for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Real Madrid's head coach Xabi Alonso waits for the start of the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Alaves and Real Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ford has issued two recalls affecting nearly 1.74 million of its cars in the U.S., due to software issues that impact the vehicles' rearview camera displays.

According to notices published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this week, an internal component inside the infotainment system of certain 2021-2026 Ford Broncos and 2021-2024 Ford Edges may overheat and shut down — preventing the rearview image from displaying when drivers are going in reverse. Meanwhile, some 2020-2022 Ford Escapes and Lincoln Corsairs, as well as 2020-2024 Lincoln Aviators and Explorers, may show a flipped or inverted rearview image.

The recalls cover 849,310 Broncos and Edges as well as 889,950 Escapes, Corsairs, Aviators and Explorers. Ford estimates that all of these vehicles have the defects. But the company is not aware of any injuries or accidents spanning from either recall, NHTSA documents show.

Still, the NHTSA is warning drivers that both issues could increase crash risks.

For impacted Bronco and Edge owners, Ford is offering a free software update for the vehicles' Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM). Owner-notification letters will be mailed out at the end of the month, with the fix available either at a dealer or through an "over-the-air” update.

But a remedy is still under development for the recall impacting the Escapes, Corsairs, Aviators and Explorers, this week's recall announcement noted. In the meantime, interim letters to notify owners of the safety risks are set to be mailed out in the coming months.

The Associated Press reached out to Michigan-based Ford for further comments on Saturday.

For more information, drivers can visit the NHTSA website and Ford's online recall lookup using their vehicle's VIN number, or call the company's customer service line at 1-866-436-7332.

FILE - The Ford logo is displayed above the entrance to the Ford Motor Company Kentucky Truck Plant, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)