Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad
Real Madrid have gone to the top of La Liga for the time being, having continued their winning run with a comprehensive victory over Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu.
The big team news for the match was Kylian Mbappe’s omission from the starting line-up, with Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Junior starting in attack instead. The former justified his inclusion already as he netted the opening goal inside five minutes, touching home an excellent cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
However, Real Madrid were not ahead for long, as La Real grabbed an equaliser that had been coming. Dean Huijsen took down Yangel Herrera inside the penalty area, and that allowed Mikel Oyarzabal to fire home from 12 yards. But as it turned out, the visitors would only be level for a few minutes, as Los Blancos also netted from the penalty spot courtesy of Vinicius Junior, who was fouled by Jon Aramburu in the lead-up to the goal.
Real Madrid made it 3-1 just beyond the half hour mark when Fede Valverde scored. After collecting a pass from Alvaro Carreras, the Uruguayan midfielder turned away from La Real challenges before finding the top corner with a curled effort.
Three minutes into the second period, Real Madrid made the points safe. Vinicius Junior was once again fouled inside the penalty area by Aramburu, and that allowed him to score from 12 yards for the second time. He almost had a hat-trick late on, but he was denied by the offside flag after he shouldered the ball in from a cross.
It is now six La Liga wins out of six for Real Madrid in 2026, and the last five of those have come under Arbeloa. Los Blancos are now two points clear of Barcelona, who are not in action until Monday night against Catalan rivals Girona.
