Real Madrid 2 – 1 Real Sociedad
In their quest to reclaim the league title, Real Madrid maintained a perfect winning streak.
The first half belonged to Real Madrid. Despite being reduced to 10 men at one point, they managed to score and take the lead. After the break, they mostly focused on defending. Sociedad launched wave after wave of attacks and narrowed the gap, but the visitors’ second goal remained unchallenged.
On Saturday, Real Madrid secured a 2-1 victory at their opponent’s stadium in La Liga. With four wins from four matches, Xabi Alonso’s side tops the table with a perfect 12 points.
The hero of this match, returning after the international break, was Kylian Mbappé. The French star scored the team’s opening goal and later assisted Arda Güler’s goal. Sociedad’s lone goal came from Mikel Oyarzabal.
Early in the second minute, Güler sent the ball into Sociedad’s net, but Mbappé was offside during the buildup, and the goal was disallowed. In the ninth minute, Dani Carvajal’s cross found Mbappé at the far post, but the striker’s volley was comfortably held by the goalkeeper.
Three minutes later, Mbappé capitalized on a defensive error to put Madrid ahead. Picking up a backpass from a Sociedad player near midfield, he skipped past one defender and struck from outside the box to score. This marked Mbappé’s fourth goal in as many games this season.
He nearly scored again in the 15th minute, but his shot inside the box bounced off the post.
Madrid suffered a setback in the 32nd minute. Center-back Housen fouled Oyarzabal from behind near midfield, grabbing him by the shoulder. The referee issued a straight red card. Real Madrid players appealed for a VAR review, but the referee ignored them, prompting a frustrated reaction from Alonso. This was Housen’s second red card in just eight matches at the age of 20.
Despite the blow, Madrid doubled their lead in the 44th minute. Mbappé danced past a defender down the left, cut the ball back from the byline, and Güler calmly finished from close range.
Early in the second half, Real Madrid narrowly avoided an own goal. Pablo Marín’s shot was blocked by midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, the ball hit one post, rolled across the goal, and bounced off the other post.
Five minutes later, Oyarzabal reduced the deficit with a penalty after Carvajal handled the ball in the box. In the 65th minute, he had another chance to equalize, but Thibaut Courtois saved his close-range effort.
The Belgian goalkeeper again denied Oyarzabal in the 84th minute, preserving Madrid’s lead.
Sociedad dominated possession with nearly 64% and took 23 shots, but only four were on target. Real Madrid managed 16 shots, six of which tested the goalkeeper.
After four games, Sociedad sits 17th in the table with just two points.
