Real Sociedad vs Real Madrid Review
Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 in La Liga at the Reale Arena, despite being down to 10 players for nearly an hour. Los Blancos appeared to take the lead within two minutes when Kylian Mbappé set up Arda Güler for a calm finish, but the French forward was slightly offside. Mbappé kept pressing and had a shot saved after receiving a precise cross from Dani Carvajal. Some minutes later, Mbappé taught Mikel Goti a tough lesson by capitalizing on Goti’s misplaced pass, sprinting past Duje Ćaleta-Car, and confidently scoring past Álex Remiro.
Shortly after, Mbappé grazed the outside of the post, but Real Sociedad responded well to their setback when Ander Barrenetxea struck the side netting. Madrid’s threat was still evident as Éder Militão forced two remarkable saves from Remiro. The Reale Arena then erupted with hope in the 32nd minute when Dean Huijsen received a straight red card for cynically pulling back Mikel Oyarzabal as the Sociedad captain tried to break through.
Militão prevented further damage by blocking Barrenetxea’s shot, and after Carvajal’s header hit the post, Güler extended the visitors’ lead before halftime by combining with Mbappé and calmly placing the ball into the net. The home side was left stunned five minutes into the second half when Pablo Marín’s shot was deflected onto the post by Aurélien Tchouaméni, with the ball teasingly rolling to the other post before Militão cleared it.
Their persistence paid off when Carvajal handled Barrenetxea’s cross, allowing Oyarzabal to deceive Thibaut Courtois from the penalty spot. Mbappé then missed the target after a dazzling run, but Real Sociedad quickly regained the initiative with Courtois rushing out to deny Oyarzabal and Ćaleta-Car sending a volley over the bar.
Despite the ongoing pressure, Courtois made an excellent save to prevent Oyarzabal from getting to Carlos Soler’s through ball and also caught Ćaleta-Car’s header. Real Madrid maintained their flawless start in La Liga with four wins, even though they conceded a goal for only the second time this season. In sharp contrast, Real Sociedad remain without a win this season and have now lost two consecutive matches.
