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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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Real Sociedad end Barcelona winning streak to tighten Liga title race

Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defence ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.

The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.

Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.

“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN. “We played well, but we didn’t win… their goalkeeper had a very good game.”

Real Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.

“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro. “We’ve started this year in great form… this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”

In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.

La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.

At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range, but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up, and it was ruled out.

With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo, who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.

Yamal found the net himself, but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.

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Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.

Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time, but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again, and it was cancelled out.

Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half, and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.

Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross, and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.

Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.

Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.

However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.

They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort, but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.

Barcelona came within centimetres of an equaliser when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.

Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.

Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.

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Atletico Madrid title hopes dented in Real Sociedad draw

Atletico Madrid could only manage a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad on Sunday, leaving them 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Diego Simeone’s side pulled level with third-placed Villarreal on 38 points, but have played two more matches than them and lost more ground in the Spanish title race.

Alexander Sorloth headed Atletico ahead early in the second half, but Goncalo Guedes levelled five minutes later to secure Real Sociedad’s American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo a point in his first game at the helm.

Hosts Real Sociedad started well, with Mikel Oyarzabal firing narrowly wide from distance and Jan Oblak forced to tip away Brais Mendez’s drive.

Atletico, who have won just two of their last five league games, threatened sporadically, but the Basque side were on top and almost took the lead before half-time.

Rojiblancos striker Sorloth headed into his own net, but the goal was disallowed for offside against Mendez, who was standing in front of the Norwegian.

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Five minutes into the second half, Sorloth nodded into the same goal, this time to send his team ahead from Giuliano Simeone’s cross.

Conor Gallagher should have doubled Atletico’s lead but fired wide of the near post when through on goal and was soon punished for it.

Guedes levelled for Real Sociedad after Takefusa Kubo darted into the box and fired the ball across for the unmarked Portuguese winger to finish.

Oblak made a smart low save to thwart Kubo, and his opposite number, Alex Remiro, was also forced into action as Antoine Griezmann ran through but could only fire at the Spaniard from a tight angle.

Carlos Soler could have won it for La Real in stoppage time, but bent a shot agonisingly wide of the far post, leaving his team 15th.

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Kylian Mbappe shines as Real Madrid defeat Real Sociedad

Kylian Mbappe was at his brilliant best as Real Madrid showed grit to claim a 2-1 win at Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday, despite playing for an hour with 10 men after Dean Huijsen’s red card.

Mbappe and Arda Guler’s first-half goals were enough for Los Blancos to maintain their 100 per cent record, with Mikel Oyarzabal pulling one back for the hosts from the penalty spot.

Xabi Alonso’s side top the table on 12 points from four games, three ahead of second-placed Athletic Bilbao after they fell 1-0 against Alaves to tarnish their own perfect start.

Atletico Madrid earned their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over fourth-place Villarreal, while champions Barcelona host Valencia on Sunday.

Madrid defender Huijsen was dismissed for pulling down Oyarzabal as he ran through on goal with Madrid leading 1-0 through Mbappe’s opener, and the Frenchman set up Guler for the second.

“The red card changed the game a bit, but we weren’t afraid, we scored the second… we suffered as a team, but we go home with the three points,” Mbappe told Real Madrid TV.

“The start to the season has been very good, and mine too, but the season is nine months, 11 with a World Cup, so I have to play well for a lot more time (to come).”

Madrid lined up with Dani Carvajal at right-back, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold on the bench, while Fede Valverde was rested and Dani Ceballos came in.

Mbappe broke the deadlock after 12 minutes when he sprinted on to a loose back-pass, beating two defenders for pace before producing a clinical finish for his fourth league goal this season.

Madrid’s task grew harder when Spanish centre-back Huijsen, signed from Bournemouth this summer, was dismissed for pulling back Oyarzabal as he ran towards goal.

“For me, it was a yellow card, (Militao) was close and the ball was not under control, and seeing the replay didn’t change my mind,” Alonso said.

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“I asked about it, (the referee) explained it, and it didn’t convince me.”

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Guler doubled Madrid’s lead before the break with a neat finish after a superb run from French superstar Mbappe, who teed him up after floating inside from the left.

The hosts improved in the second half and won a penalty after a Carvajal handball, which Oyarzabal dispatched, but they could not find a way back.

Madrid’s victory ensures they will be the sole leaders, as Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic stumbled in a Basque derby.

Alejandro Berenguer’s own goal, deflecting Denis Suarez’s cross into his own net, split the teams at San Mames as hosts Athletic dominated but could not avoid defeat by Alaves.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid suffered two defeats and a draw in their opening fixtures but produced a far more impressive display to triumph at their Metropolitano stadium against Villarreal with goals from Pablo Barrios and debutant Nico Gonzalez.

The Rojiblancos were forced to bring off Julian Alvarez, Robin Le Normand, and David Hancko with knocks, a worry ahead of their Champions League opener at Liverpool on Wednesday.

“Our fans supported us today when we needed it most,” Atletico skipper Koke told Movistar. “Hopefully the (hurt) players rest well, we have a very important game against Liverpool.”

Simeone said he was pleased with his team’s performance and will find out more information on Sunday about the players who went off with knocks.

“It’s a shame we didn’t have the calm we needed (to score more), but I’m very happy with the team,” said Simeone.

“I haven’t spoken to the doctor about the players who went off hurt, but in general, it’s discomfort, knocks, tomorrow we’ll know more.”

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Embarba’s late penalty helps bottom-ranked Almeria draw with Real Sociedad

Adri Embarba struck a late penalty to secure a draw for bottom-ranked Almeria against Real Sociedad in the La Liga 2023-24 clash at Reale Arena on Sunday.

Real Sociedad entered into the match with a three-match winning streak, but they were taken by surprise by the visitors.

The hosts made three unsuccessful attempts to earn the advantage before Embarbe rose to the occasion and got the lead for Almeria at the half-hour mark.

Marc Pubill assisted Embarba, who smoothly sent the ball from outside the box to the bottom right corner.

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However, Sheraldo Becker hit the equalizer two minutes later as he found Javi Galan’s cross in the centre of the box and guided the ball past the goalkeeper.

Becker appeared to hit another one but the goalkeeper took swift action to extend Real Sociedad’s wait for the second goal.

The first half ended at a 1-1 stalemate but Mikel Oyarzabal pushed the hosts ahead within ten minutes into the second half after an assist by Becker.

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Real Sociedad dominated the game in the second half and were set to extend their winning streak to four games before Igor Zubeldia was shown a red card in the 85th minute.

Almeria was awarded a penalty, which was successfully converted by Embarba to earn a 2-2 draw.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga clash, Athletic Bilbao’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League suffered a blow as Dani Parejo’s injury-time penalty secured a 1-1 draw for 10-man Villarreal at San Mames.

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Real Madrid script triumphant La Liga start at Athletic Bilbao’s disposal

Real Madrid kicked off their La Liga campaign on a high as they handed Atheltic Bilbao a solid 2-0 defeat, in their opening game on Saturday.

Real Madrid started off the game strongly, as they gained an early advantage with a goal in the 28th minute thanks to Rodrygo, assisted by Dani Carvajal. A mere eight minutes later, Jude Bellingham scored his first goal for the club in his La Liga debut giving them a formidable lead of 2-0.

Notably, the 19-year-old English midfielder Bellingham joined Real Madrid this summer from Borussia Dortmund at a base transfer fee of €103 million.

A clean sheet for Andriy Lunin, who was standing in for the injured goal-keeper Thibaut Courtois kept Athletic Bilbao in their tracks as they failed to score, and Real Madrid’s 2-0 advantage remained intact until the final whistle.

In another La Liga fixture, Raíllo Arenas’s 70th-minute equalizer lifted Real Mallorca to hold Las Palmas for a 1-1 stalemate.

Las Palmas gained an early advantage after Jonathan Viera scored a goal off a penalty in the 29^th minute after Copete was given a yellow card.

Both teams made desperate efforts to fire in the tie-breaker but ultimately settled for a draw.

In another La Liga fixture, Real Sociedad were pulled back for a stalemate by Girona, courtesy of Artem Dovbyk’s second-half header.

Real Sociedad got off to a flying start, thanks to an early goal by Takefusa Kubo in the fifth minute.

Sociedad were flying high on their lead and appeared to be in a position to win their La Liga clash. However, Artem Dovbyk pulled them back with a brilliant header in the 72nd minute.

Sociedad made several attempts to gain a late advantage, but all in vain as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

It is worth mentioning here that defending champions Barcelona will kick off their campaign against Getafe on Sunday.

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Champions Barcelona suffer defeat at home ahead of trophy celebration

BARCELONA: Mikel Merino and Alexander Sorloth struck goals in each half to give Real Sociedad a 2-1 win at Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga.

Sociedad inflicted the first home defeat of the season upon La Liga champions on a day when they were celebrating their title triumph.

With the league title already at their disposal, the fans at Camp Nou were unmoved by the team’s loss and remained seated to see the post-game celebrations when Barca would lift the La Liga trophy.

However, Real Sociedad made sure to strengthen their position for the Champions League spot as they moved to 65 points, five ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal who beat Girona 2-1 earlier on Saturday.

Winners Barcelona have an unassailable 14-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, who face Valencia on Sunday. Atletico Madrid are third with 69 points.

Merino scored the opener for Sociedad with a tidy finish in the fifth minute. They doubled their lead through Sorloth in the 72nd minute before Robert Lewandowski headed in a consolation goal for Barcelona from close range in the dying minutes.

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Real Sociedad stun Athletic Club in Basque derby to go third in La Liga

SAB SEBASTIAN: Real Sociedad claimed their fourth win in a row to make their way into the top three in the La Liga table as they defeated Athletic Club 3-1 at Anoeta Stadium on Saturday.

The home side dominated their Basque rivals as Alexander Sorioth, Takefusa Kubo and Mikel Oyarzabal scored a goal each to earn points for the Sociedad.

Real Sociedad, after last night’s win, claimed the third spot in La Liga, three points behind second-placed Real Madrid while Barcelona are six points ahead of them at the top.

Sorioth opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Kubo doubled the lead 12 minutes later, however, Oihan Sancet brought the equation to 2-1 before the first half.

Sociedad regained the two-goal cushion with a penalty in the second half as Oyarzabal netted the ball from the spot in the 62nd minute.

Earlier, Osasuna edged past Mallorca thanks to the winner scored by Aimar Oroz early in the second half.

Meanwhile, Girona came from behind to seal a thrilling win over Sevilla with a late decider from Yangel Herrera.

Herrera struck the winner in the 88th minute after Cristhian Stuani grounded Sevilla’s first-half lead given by Tiangay Nanzou in the 13th minute.

However, in another fixture on Saturday, Isi Palazon earned vital points for Rayo Vallecano with a 66th-minute winner as they beat Valladolid 1-0.

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