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La Liga: Valverde strikes late as Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo

Federico Valverde’s heavily deflected 95th-minute drive snatched injury-hit Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Celta Vigo in La Liga on Friday.

The Uruguayan midfielder needed a stroke of fortune at the death to pull his team to within one point of leaders Barcelona, who visit Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Aurelien Tchouameni opened the scoring for Los Blancos early on, but Borja Iglesias soon pulled Celta level at their Balaidos stadium.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid, without injured striker Kylian Mbappe, had lost their previous two league games and are struggling to find consistent form.

Valverde’s shot, which flew into Celta’s net after bouncing off former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso, stopped his side from going three consecutive La Liga matches without a win.

“There’s a long way to go in La Liga, a lot of points left to play for… at this point it’s almost like La Liga has not started yet,” Arbeloa told reporters.

“Every game you’re playing against a team that has their own objectives, and each game will be a war.

“We came here with 10 players out, so I think our win deserves a lot of credit.”

As well as French superstar Mbappe, the team’s top goalscorer, Arbeloa was without several other players, including Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes and Eduardo Camavinga.

Despite the victory, Madrid’s form and their injury list does not inspire confidence ahead of next week’s Champions League last 16 clash against Manchester City.

Arbeloa started 18-year-old midfielder Thiago Pitarch for the first time, and he offered a decent display even as his team failed to impress.

Iglesias forced Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a solid low save with a drive from the edge of the box in the opening exchanges.

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Arbeloa’s side started well, and Vinicius Junior struck the post before Tchouameni put them ahead in the 11th minute.

The French midfielder produced a fine finish from the edge of the box as Madrid worked a corner to him, his strike hitting the upright on its way in.

Celta were not discouraged, though, and some poor defending from Trent Alexander-Arnold let them back in.

The England international allowed Williot Swedberg to get in behind him and then lacked the agility to block off the Swede, who cut the ball across for Iglesias to finish.

Courtois made a good save to keep Swedberg at bay before the break, as sixth-place Celta largely gave as good as they got.

Madrid appealed for a penalty when Ferran Jutgla handled the ball in the box, but a VAR review showed there was a push on a Celta defender just before and no spot kick was awarded.

Celta substitute Iago Aspas hit the post late on, and it seemed like his team were destined for a point as the clock ticked down.

However, in the final minute of stoppage time, Valverde’s effort from the edge of the box hit Alonso and left Celta goalkeeper Ionut Radu wrong-footed.

“We hardly gave up any chances, and the shot at the end was well defended, so we’re a bit annoyed (to lose),” Iglesias told Movistar.

Arbeloa said he hoped Madrid’s determination to claim the three points could be a platform to build from going forward.

“I know we can do a lot of things better, but with the personality and character we showed today, I hope that this is a turning point and from here everything goes a lot better,” added Arbeloa.

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Arbeloa urges Real Madrid to show ‘true potential’

Real Madrid will “keep fighting” as long as they mathematically have a chance of winning La Liga, after slipping four points behind Barcelona, under-pressure coach Alvaro Arbeloa said on Thursday.

Los Blancos visit Celta Vigo on Friday, hoping to move back within one point of Barcelona ahead of the reigning champions’ match at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Madrid lost their lead at the top of the table with a defeat at Osasuna a fortnight ago, before being humbled at home by Getafe last weekend to increase the scrutiny on Arbeloa.

“We’re four points behind, not 18. This is Real Madrid. As long as we can mathematically fight, we will, and if there ever comes a time when we can no longer fight, we will still keep fighting,” said Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso as coach in January.

“In the dressing room, we’re aware that there’s still a lot of the season left.

“We’ve had two consecutive league defeats. Of course, at a club like Real Madrid, defeat is always difficult to handle because of the expectations and the pressure, but right now the only thing we’re thinking about is tomorrow’s match.”

Madrid have been hit badly by injuries in recent weeks.

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Brazilian winger Rodrygo Goes joined Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury against Getafe which will likely see him miss the World Cup in the summer.

Centre-back Dean Huijsen will also sit out the game at Celta through suspension.

“When you’re winning and everyone is playing well, it’s easy to wear this shirt,” added Arbeloa, who insisted that he would not “make excuses” due to the injuries.

“We need to show our true potential now. It’s in moments like these that you see if we’re worthy of wearing this shirt and this badge.”

Real Madrid host Manchester City in their Champions League last-16 first leg next Wednesday.

Mbappe has travelled to Paris for treatment on his knee injury, and Bellingham is in London, with both hoping to recover in time to face City.

Arbeloa said that any decisions about the players’ fitness would be taken “by the medical services of Real Madrid”.

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Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe in Paris for treatment on knee injury

France captain Kylian Mbappe was in Paris on Monday for treatment on a knee injury, but no surgery is planned, the Real Madrid superstar’s entourage told AFP.

Real Madrid later said the forward has been diagnosed with a knee sprain in the French capital and will follow a “conservative” treatment plan.

Mbappe was “in Paris accompanied by members of the Real Madrid medical staff,” the striker’s camp said in a statement.

“In agreement with the club, he is undergoing further tests on his knee,” it continued, “to optimise his follow-up care and prepare for his comeback. No surgical intervention is being planned at the moment.”

Madrid, who face Getafe on Monday without their top scorer Mbappe, revealed the diagnosis of his injury.

“After tests carried out on our player Kylian Mbappe by French specialist doctors, under the supervision of Real Madrid’s Medical Services, the diagnosis of a sprain in his left knee has been confirmed, as well as the suitability of the conservative treatment currently being followed,” said the Spanish giants in a statement.

Mbappe has been struggling with an injury to the external ligament of his left knee since the end of 2025 and missed last week’s Champions League play-off second leg against Benfica due to “persistent pain” in training, sources close to the player said.

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His entourage insisted there was no disagreement regarding the treatment required by the player between his club and the French national team, who will be desperate to have Mbappe fully fit for the upcoming World Cup.

“It was a bit of a consensus between everyone (Mbappe, the coach and the doctors), and we think the best thing is that he stops, that he recovers and comes back at 100 percent,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar late last week.

“It’s not going to be a question of days; it will be a bit longer, but I can’t say how long, hopefully not too long.”

It remains to be seen if Mbappe, who has scored 38 goals in 33 appearances for his club this season, will be able to play in the Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester City, the first leg of which is scheduled for March 11 with the return on March 17.

France have two friendly matches lined up in the United States at the end of the month, against Brazil in Boston on March 26 and Colombia in Washington three days later.

Their first World Cup game is on June 16 against Senegal.

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Getafe stun Real Madrid to shake up La Liga title race

Real Madrid fell to a damaging 1-0 defeat by Getafe at home in La Liga on Monday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, beaten by a superb volley from Martin Satriano, suffered a second consecutive loss in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2020.

Madrid forward Franco Mastantuono was sent off in stoppage time for apparent dissent to make a bad night worse for Los Blancos.

“Obviously, it’s a match where we could have done things better, but I think my players tried and we had more clear chances than them,” Arbeloa told reporters.

“However, in football, deserving isn’t enough, and Getafe played a great game.”

With French superstar Kylian Mbappe in France to treat a knee sprain, Madrid lined up with Gonzalo Garcia in attack alongside Brazil star Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid were beaten at Osasuna last weekend, allowing rivals Barca to overtake them in the title race, and Hansi Flick’s side stretched their lead by thrashing Villarreal on Saturday.

Vinicius, in excellent form in 2026 after an inconsistent start to the season, spurned a fine early chance.

The winger burst through on goal, but David Soria saved well with his leg.

A brilliant roulette from Arda Guler nearly earned Madrid the breakthrough, but Soria tipped over the Turkish forward’s strike.

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Getafe were upset by a painful collision between Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger and Diego Rico, in which the German’s knee knocked the Spaniard’s head.

Uruguayan forward Satriano broke the deadlock with a delicious strike from the edge of the box after compatriot Mauro Arambarri nodded the ball into his path.

Soria, who had a fine game, saved from Vinicius in the second half, and the Brazilian called for more support from Madrid’s fans.

However, the team were not giving them much to get excited about, although Rudiger came close to levelling with a header.

It was a disjointed display from a Madrid side who visit Celta Vigo on Friday in La Liga, before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League last 16, unsure if top scorer Mbappe will be fit to play.

In stoppage time, Mastantuono was dismissed, seemingly for something he said to the referee, before Getafe were also reduced to 10 men when Adrian Liso kicked the ball away and was shown a second yellow card.

“Nobody here is throwing in the towel, this is Real Madrid, you don’t give up until the last game,” added Arbeloa.

“Four points is a distance that we can cut back, and we will fight for that.”

Jose Bordalas’s Getafe rose to 11th and were able to celebrate their first win at the Bernabeu since 2008.

“It’s very hard to get points when you come here. I have to congratulate the team for the work in defence, then we got our goal, and we could even have scored another in the end,” said Getafe defender Kiko Femenia.

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Real Madrid to play Manchester City in Champions League last 16

Real Madrid and Manchester City will face off in a Champions League knockout tie for the fifth season running after being drawn Friday to play each other in the last 16, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will take on Chelsea.

The Spanish giants, record 15-time European champions, will host City in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month before travelling to England for the return the following week.

The clubs have already played each other this season, with Pep Guardiola’s City winning 2-1 in Madrid in December during the league phase, in which the Premier League club finished eighth and Real ninth.

That allowed City, Champions League winners in 2023, to advance straight to the last 16 while Madrid had to come through the knockout phase play-offs, in which they beat Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.

This is the eighth season in which the teams have played each other since 2012. Real beat City in the knockout phase play-offs last season, and in the quarter-finals on the way to winning the trophy in 2024.

They also emerged victorious in the semi-finals in 2022, with City winning at the same stage the following year.

PSG will be at home to Chelsea in the first leg after qualifying for this stage with a 5-4 aggregate win over Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in the play-offs. Chelsea progressed straight to the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase.

The sides played each other in the knockout stages in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, with Chelsea winning the first of those confrontations in the quarter-finals and PSG triumphing in the last 16 in the following two.

Their last encounter came in July’s Club World Cup final in the United States, when Chelsea won 3-0 against last season’s European champions.

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Chelsea have been coached since January by Liam Rosenior, who had previously come up against PSG in Ligue 1 as the coach of Strasbourg.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United will take on Barcelona with the first leg at St James’ Park, where the Spanish side won 2-1 during the league phase in September.

There is a record total of six English clubs in the last 16. Liverpool will have a rematch against Galatasaray, the Turkish giants having defeated the Anfield club 1-0 in September in the league phase.

Arsenal will come up against Bayer Leverkusen, and Tottenham Hotspur were drawn to play Atletico Madrid.

German champions Bayern Munich will play Atalanta, the sole Italian club left in the competition, while Norwegian upstarts Bodo/Glimt’s reward for knocking out Inter Milan is a last-16 tie against Sporting of Portugal.

The first legs will take place on March 10 and 11, with the second legs a week later.

The teams that qualified directly for this stage after finishing in the top eight in the league phase will all be at home in the return matches.

This season’s Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.

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Vinicius hits winner as Real Madrid eliminate Benfica after racism row

Vinicius Junior scored the winner on the night as Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, progressing 3-1 on aggregate to the last 16.

It was the Brazilian forward’s superb goal which separated the teams in a first leg marred by an incident of alleged racial abuse aimed at him by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denies it.

Jose Mourinho’s side were still alive in the play-off round tie and took the lead early on at the Santiago Bernabeu through Rafa Silva, although Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni swiftly levelled.

Benfica gave the record 15-time champions a rough ride, but fittingly, Vinicius, who never hides from the spotlight, scored on 80 minutes to effectively end the contest.

“That is our Vinicius,” Tchouameni proudly told Movistar after the Brazilian’s winner. “To be honest, we didn’t start the game very well, but we kept our confidence.”

It was Portuguese coach Mourinho’s first time back at the Santiago Bernabeu since he coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, but he could not lead his team from the dugout because of a suspension.

After a week dominated by the fallout from the first leg, Vinicius lined up for Real Madrid alongside Gonzalo Garcia, who stepped in for the injured French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

“(Vini) had a great game,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “Unbalancing them, scoring, creating a lot of danger every time he took them on.”

Benfica were without banned midfielder Prestianni, after an appeal against his provisional one-game sanction was turned down earlier on Wednesday, with UEFA still investigating the incident.

Madrid hung a large banner reading “no to racism” at one end, with the game played under the shadow of what happened last week in Lisbon.

There were boos for Vinicius from the visiting Benfica fans, and he prodded wide in the early stages, appealing in vain for a penalty as Nicolas Otamendi collided with him after he got his shot away.

Benfica took a deserved lead in the 14th minute as Madrid defender Raul Asencio clumsily turned the ball towards his own goal.

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Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the ball out, but Silva was on hand to bundle home from close range.

Stung into action, Madrid pulled level two minutes later through Tchouameni. The French midfielder finished with aplomb from the edge of the box from rampaging team-mate Federico Valverde’s cross.

Madrid thought they had gone ahead on the night when Arda Guler stabbed home a loose ball after Garcia’s shot was blocked, but the Spanish striker had edged offside, and it was disallowed after a VAR review.

Courtois made a fine save from Richard Rios before the break, as Benfica turned up the pressure.

Silva hit the bar with a deflected effort before the hour mark as Mourinho’s side at times pinned back the hosts.

Madrid were dealt a setback as Asencio was forced off on a stretcher after colliding with Eduardo Camavinga.

“It’s his neck, but it doesn’t seem like it will be that bad,” said Arbeloa, who confirmed the defender was being taken to the hospital for tests.

It had to be Vinicius who settled the tie, though, and Valverde played him scuttling through on goal, with the Brazilian calmly rolling a low shot past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

Vinicius produced another celebratory dance by the corner flag, as he had done in the first leg in the run-up to the flashpoint with Prestianni, and to the chagrin of Mourinho.

“I’m happy that Vini’s dancing, still dancing, because it means he’s scoring goals,” said Courtois.

This time, the 25-year-old just had thousands of jubilant fans jumping up and down before him, and his goal confirmed Madrid’s passage to the last 16.

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La Liga leaders Real Madrid stung by late Osasuna winner

Raul Garcia’s superb 90th-minute strike consigned leaders Real Madrid to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, in a blow to their title hopes.

Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them on Sunday if they beat Levante at Camp Nou.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid put on a below-par performance in Pamplona and fell behind to an Ante Budimir penalty, before Vinicius Junior pulled the visitors level.

The second leg of Madrid’s Champions League play-off against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday seemed to play on their minds as they failed to kick on at El Sadar.

Vinicius, who scored a sensational goal to give Madrid a slender first-leg lead but was then the victim of alleged racial abuse, thought he had earned his team a point before Garcia blasted home the winner.

Croatian target man Budimir curled narrowly wide of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s far post early on, the first of many problems he gave the visitors.

The Belgian stopper made an excellent save a few minutes later, after Budimir tried to nod home Ruben Garcia’s cross under pressure from Alvaro Carreras.

Budimir also clipped the post with a header as Osasuna impressed, with their victory helping them rise to ninth.

Madrid defender David Alaba came close when Alejandro Catena blocked his shot, shortly before the hosts took the lead.

Budimir burst into the area and went down under a challenge from Courtois. Although he was initially booked for diving, a VAR review showed the goalkeeper stood on his foot.

The veteran forward took the resulting penalty himself and sent Courtois the wrong way to give Osasuna the lead.

Osasuna sat deep at times in the second half, looking to fend off 15-time European champions Madrid.

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Arda Guler came close with a vicious shot that flew just over.

Chasing an equaliser, Arbeloa threw on creative duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Diaz and his team began to take control.

French superstar Kylian Mbappe put the ball in the back of Osasuna’s net but had edged offside, although the equaliser was not long in coming.

Fede Valverde charged into the box with the ball, unperturbed by Osasuna’s defenders bouncing off him, before crossing for Vinicius to tuck home.

It was the Brazilian’s fifth goal in his last four games across all competitions, having found his best form since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm in January.

Mbappe, La Liga’s top goalscorer, should have put Madrid ahead with 10 minutes to go, but Javi Galan brilliantly blocked his shot.

Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick wide as the clock ticked down, and it looked like Madrid were left ruing two points dropped, when the third was taken away from them too.

Raul Garcia cut inside the sliding Raul Asencio brilliantly and fired across Courtois and in at the far post.

The striker’s celebrations were cut short by the offside flag, but a VAR review showed he was onside and the goal was given.

It was the first time Osasuna have beaten Madrid in La Liga for 15 years.

Real Betis, fifth, were held 1-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano earlier Saturday, leaving them three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone’s side host Espanyol later on, aiming to make amends after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat by Rayo.

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Champions League: Vinicius stunner helps Real Madrid edge Benfica

Vinicius Junior scored a sensational goal to earn Real Madrid a 1-0 Champions League play-off first leg victory at Benfica on Tuesday, although the match was marred by apparent racist abuse aimed at the Brazilian.

Having curled a stunning shot into the top corner in the 50th minute, Vinicius argued with Gianluca Prestianni, after which he complained to French referee Francois Letexier, who halted the match for more than 10 minutes as he applied the racism protocol.

Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said Vinicius told his team-mates that Prestianni called him a “monkey”.

“Vini is doing good, calm,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “(What happened) is something that nobody likes, you have to ask the Benfica player what he said.

“(Racism) is something we have to eradicate from the world of football and if the players don’t fix it then this is very complicated.”

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho was sent off in the final stages of a spiky game for complaining too vociferously, meaning he will miss the second leg against his former team at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

Arbeloa’s Madrid earned a narrow and nervy victory at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon to take an advantage into that clash, as well as avenging their dramatic 4-2 defeat by Benfica in the league phase.

That collapse dragged the record 15-time champions down into the play-off round while helping Mourinho’s side reach it by the skin of their teeth.

However, this was a far different affair, with Arbeloa’s Madrid much sturdier than a few weeks ago.

They were bolstered by French superstar Kylian Mbappe’s return after he sat out of their last game because of knee discomfort.

Vinicius, back to his vibrant best since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm in January, dragged the first good chance of the game inches wide of the far post.

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Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save to keep out Fredrik Aursnes’s deflected effort from distance as Benfica held their own.

Madrid’s quality began to shine through before the interval, with Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who scored a stunning late goal when the teams met in January, denying Mbappe and Arda Guler.

The Ukrainian stopper could do nothing, though, about Vinicius’s sensational strike after 50 minutes.

On the left of the area, with nothing else on, Vinicius curled a sumptuous effort into the top corner to put Madrid ahead.

The Brazilian was booked for his dancing celebration in front of Benfica’s supporters.

That sparked an exchange with Prestianni, who pulled his shirt over his mouth before seeming to say something to Vinicius.

The Brazilian then ran over to Letexier and, pointing at Prestianni, said that he had been called “mono”, the Spanish word for monkey.

“Vini told us that the guy called him a ‘monkey’ with his shirt (raised over his mouth),” Tchouameni told Movistar later.

The official activated the racism protocol, and Vinicius sat in Madrid’s dug-out, with the game on hold for several minutes.

When the game eventually resumed, Vinicius was jeered by Benfica supporters and was denied three times by Trubin in the minutes that followed.

Mourinho was sent off in the 85th minute as he appealed for a second yellow card for Vinicius, costing him a spot on the bench back at his old hunting ground, where he led Madrid between 2010 and 2013.

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Benfica’s Jose Mourinho plays down Real Madrid return

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho insisted he is capable of saying no to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as he played down rumours of a return to the Spanish giants on Monday.

Mourinho’s Benfica host Real Madrid in a Champions League play-off round clash on Tuesday, before the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach, who led Madrid between 2010 and 2013, has a clause in his contract with Benfica which would allow him to depart the club, fuelling rumours Perez may turn to him again next season.

Mourinho guided Benfica to a 4-2 victory over Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid in the league phase of the Champions League in January, leading both teams to face each other again in the two-legged play-off round.

“Can you say no? Yes,” Mourinho told reporters when asked if he could reject an approach from the Madrid chief. “Yes, you can.”

Mourinho admitted he has a “great friendship” with Perez and a permanent connection with Madrid, but said the break clause was agreed because of the Benfica presidential elections, which were approaching in November 2025, a few weeks after he signed his contract.

“I gave everything to Real Madrid, everything that I had, I did good things, I did bad things, but I gave absolutely everything, and that’s all,” said Mourinho.

“When (someone) leaves a club with those type of feelings, I think a connection always exists… the fans think highly of me, and that is fantastic, but with this, I don’t want to encourage stories that don’t exist…

“The only thing that exists is that I have another year on my contract with Benfica. It’s a special contract because it was signed in an electoral period.”

Mourinho said the deal was signed to protect a hypothetical new president, although in the end, Rui Costa was re-elected.

“There is a clause that is very easy for both me and Benfica to break the contract, but the only thing that exists is the contract with Benfica, and there is nothing with Real Madrid,” said Mourinho.

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“I would very much like to eliminate Real Madrid (from the Champions League), but I would like Alvaro to win La Liga and for Alvaro to stay at Madrid for many years.

“I think he’s a coach with a lot of capability and a boy who has Madrid within him, and with the personality to coach Madrid, which isn’t something anyone can do.”

Mourinho said he expected a different game to the one his side dominated in Lisbon against Madrid in January, and highlighted the power of Arbeloa’s side, record 15-time champions.

“The Real Madrid I expect tomorrow is the Real Madrid who are number one favourites to win the Champions League,” added Mourinho.

Arbeloa said, despite his good relationship with Mourinho, he was determined to reach the last 16.

“My objective is to eliminate Benfica, and after that he can win everything else, after that I wish him the best,” explained Arbeloa.

The coach would not reveal whether French superstar Kylian Mbappe was ready to start the game, after knee discomfort kept him on the bench last weekend in the win over Real Sociedad.

“Kylian came with us, he will train and tomorrow you will see if he plays or doesn’t,” said Arbeloa.

Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga said Los Blancos were out for revenge at the Estadio da Luz.

“I think we have to change our mentality (from the league phase game), we’re better on that front now, we have to attack and defend together,” Camavinga told reporters.

“We want to play a great game, because losing a game like that was tough for our fans… we want to win tomorrow with the spirit of revenge.”

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Vinicius bags brace as Real Madrid beat Sociedad, take La Liga lead

MADRID: Vinicius Junior won and converted two penalties as Real Madrid thumped Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday to move provisionally top of La Liga.

An impressive performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold on his first start in two-and-a-half months also helped Los Blancos move two points clear of champions Barcelona, who visit Girona on Monday.

Madrid’s convincing display inflicted a first defeat for visiting American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, in his 10th match at the helm of Real Sociedad.

Young striker Gonzalo Garcia and Fede Valverde were also on target for Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid, who face an important Champions League play-off match against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Tuesday in Lisbon.

“We did great work in attack and in defence… you could tell that we were defending as a team during the whole game,” Valverde told Real Madrid TV.

“We’ve had long weeks where we’ve been preparing a lot, and now we will fight for La Liga and the Champions League.”

Fit to start his first game since early December after a thigh injury, it did not take Alexander-Arnold long to make an impact.

The England defender’s cross was met with a delicate finish by Garcia, starting in place of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who was feeling some knee discomfort.

“Trent is a very intelligent boy, who understands the game very well, and has quickly understood what we want from him,” Arbeloa told reporters.

“We’re lucky to have a player like this, who can play inside or outside… at set-pieces, with his kick, he can set us off on the counter-attack very well, he’s a great player.”

Real Sociedad pulled level after 21 minutes when Yangel Herrera was clumsily felled by Dean Huijsen in Madrid’s box.

Mikel Oyarzabal powered the spot-kick down the middle, but La Real’s joy was short-lived.

Vinicius won a penalty of his own at the other end when Jon Aramburu tripped him in the area, and the Brazilian sent Alex Remiro the wrong way.

Madrid were rampant, and Valverde netted a fine third in the 31st minute, moving into space on the edge of the box and curling into the top corner.

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Matarrazzo sent on Goncalo Guedes at half-time, hoping his team could mount a comeback, but Aramburu conceded another penalty early in the second half.

It was Vinicius running at him once more which provoked it, with the winger nutmegging Aramburu and then eagerly hitting the deck as the right-back slid in.

Vinicius went for the bottom left corner this time, switching directions, and Remiro could not reach his strike.

With Jude Bellingham out injured and Mbappe sitting on the bench, Vinicius seemed to have more freedom to roam and revelled in being the key attacking figure.

“Since I’ve arrived, he’s had games at a really high level… he’s a player who goes beyond the statistics, how he can change a game, condition opponents, the number of players he can attract”, said Arbeloa.

“(Vinicius is) one of the best in the world, I’m lucky to coach him, he’s a great kid with a big heart.”

Garcia came close to a second but Real Sociedad defender Jon Martin, who performed well individually despite his team’s heavy defeat, cleared his effort off the line.

Vinicius was denied a hat-trick by the linesman’s flag as he used his shoulder to convert Arda Guler’s crossed free-kick, but had strayed just offside.

“The first half was tough, we weren’t comfortable… and in general we did badly,” Oyarzabal told Movistar after his team’s unbeaten run was brought to an end.

“We came here in a good dynamic and doing well, a bad game doesn’t have to spoil that.”

Earlier, Villarreal fell to a 2-1 defeat at Getafe in a blow to their hopes of a top-four finish.

The Yellow Submarine, currently sitting fourth, were far from their best, and Mauro Arambarri sent the hosts ahead from the penalty spot shortly before the break.

Martin Satriano extended Getafe’s lead early in the second half, with Georges Mikautadze pulling one back for Villarreal, but Marcelino Garcia Toral’s team could not find an equaliser.

Real Betis, fifth, could move within four points of Villarreal if they beat Mallorca on Sunday.

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