Vinicius, Mbappe penalties help Madrid beat Real Sociedad
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe were on target from the penalty spot to secure Real Madrid a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday. This win moved the Spanish champions to within a point of leaders Barcelona, who are set to face Girona on Sunday.
Real Sociedad came close multiple times, hitting the woodwork three times, but Madrid’s penalties in the second half sealed the victory at the Reale Arena.
“It was a tough game, probably we didn’t deserve to win because Real Sociedad played very well… but we bore it out, we suffered, we were committed in the tough moments of the game, and I value that a lot,” said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. He praised his team’s resilience, adding, “This sacrifice and commitment from a team with such quality, you cannot always find — and today we found it.”
Real Madrid were missing key players Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni due to injury, and Ancelotti started Brahim Diaz in place of Rodrygo Goes, who later entered the match following an injury to Diaz.
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Mbappe, who had scored his first La Liga goals in the previous game, was once again the focal point of the match. He tested Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro early on and came close with several runs, but it wasn’t until later that Madrid gained control.
Real Sociedad’s Luka Sucic was unlucky, hitting the bar with a long-range effort, while Sheraldo Becker also struck the bar later in the match.
However, Real Madrid capitalized on Sociedad’s missed opportunities. In the 58th minute, Vinicius Junior converted from the penalty spot after Sergio Gomez handled a shot from Arda Guler. Mbappe followed with his own penalty after Jon Aramburu fouled Vinicius.
“They are linking well, creating a lot of danger,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said about the partnership between Vinicius and Mbappe. He acknowledged that the pair were still working on their chemistry but added, “Today it was from the penalty spot, but they count too.”
Real Madrid’s victory extends their unbeaten La Liga run to 37 matches, with their last league defeat coming in September 2023. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad remain with just one win from five games this season, despite their strong performance.
“We had a great first half, we had a lot of chances, the game was alive,” said Real Sociedad’s Igor Zubeldia. “In the second half, we started well, but the penalty was a tough blow… we were comfortable, it changed the whole game for us.”
Real Madrid now prepare for their return to Champions League action against Stuttgart on Tuesday, with Mbappe continuing to shine in his new role at the club.
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