Real Sociedad 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid have reclaimed control of the La Liga title race after a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad sent them back to the top of the table.
Real captain Sergio Ramos broke another La Liga record with his second-half penalty and Karim Benzema struck later to seal the three points for Real. Los Blancos have now won all three matches since returning to action last week.
SBOBET La Liga fans should be treated to a very tight title race moving forward. Real are tied with fierce rivals Barcelona on 65 points, but they have the edge by virtue of a superior head-to-head record in El Clasico.
On the other side, La Real’s La Liga 2020 results have been poor since returning, and their dreams of making it back to the Champions League are now in serious danger.
Highlights of the game
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane made a few changes to the side that hammered Valencia 3-0 in midweek. Vinicius Junior and James Rodriguez both came in for Eden Hazard and Luke Modric.
Vinicius hadn’t scored since El Clasico back in March, but the Brazilian very nearly broke that drought after just two minutes. He got on the end of a Federico Valverde cutback, but his ambitious effort with the outside of his right boot went wide.
Real had to wait nearly half an hour until their next notable sight on goal. The chance fell to Karim Benzema, whose shot was easily saved by Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro.
Remiro was once again called into action on 42 minutes as Vinicius cut from the left wing and unleashed a powerful shot which Remiro had to parry away.
Vinicius’ influence continued into the second half, and his great work led to Real’s opening goal just a few minutes after the break.
The Brazilian danced his way from the left wing into the penalty area and was brought down just when he was about to shoot. The referee did not hesitate to point to the penalty spot.
Up stepped Sergio Ramos to take responsibility, and the Real captain made no mistake from the spot as he sent Remiro the wrong way.
Real remained well in command of proceedings as the hosts hardly threatened the Madrid goal. Toni Kroos had a speculative shot from distance on 63 minutes.
But seven minutes later, Real found the second goal that would eventually seal the points. Valverde did brilliantly to send the ball into the box from the byline. His cross found Karim Benzema, who did even better as he evaded a couple of Sociedad defenders and slotted home.
Sociedad protested that Benzema had used his arm to control the ball, but after a review by VAR, Real’s goal stood.
Sociedad had 20 minutes to salvage at least a point, and they were able to pull a goal back on 83 minutes. Mikel Merino was able to get on the end of a Roberto Lopez cross and blast the ball past Thibaut Courtois.
However, there would be no dramatic finish as Real Madrid would hold on to grab the all-important three points and go back to the top of La Liga.
Key statistics
The statistics for this match were quite even. Sociedad just barely edged the possession battle, 51-49, while both sides finished with 10 total shots.
However, the visitors produced more meaningful chances with six shots on target compared to Sociedad’s two.
Vinicius Jr. was a big part of Real’s success. The Brazilian had a brilliant match for Real as he had two shots and completed five dribbles.
Meanwhile, Benzema has now scored three goals in three games back following his brace against Valencia. The 32-year-old has 17 league goals for the season, just four back of Lionel Messi for the La Liga lead.
Sergio Ramos remains right behind Benzema on Real’s scoring charts after getting his seventh league goal of the season. Four of those have come from the penalty spot. With his latest goal, Ramos became the top-scoring defender in La Liga’s history with 68 career goals.
Sociedad’s star trio of Alexander Isak, Martin Odegaard, and Mikel Oyarzabal — who have 20 goals and 12 assists between them — did not have a good game. All three were substituted in the second half as Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil tried to shake things up.
What’s next?
The La Liga 2020 odds will favour Real heavily in their next two matches as they face two relegation strugglers. First up, they will host Mallorca, who are currently in 18th place, at the Santiago Bernabeu. Then they travel to Barcelona to face last-placed Espanyol.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad will look to pick up a much-needed win at home against Celta Vigo. However, they must be careful as Celta just thrashed Alaves 6-0 over the weekend.
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