Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad: Score and Reaction from 2017 La Liga Match
Real Madrid became the big winners of the La Liga weekend by beating Real Sociedad 3-0 on Sunday, while the other title candidates all faltered.
The hosts struggled before the break, but Mateo Kovacic needed just a little space to give his team the lead. After half-time, Los Blancos improved, and Cristiano Ronaldo added a second goal. Inigo Martinez was sent off for a second bookable offence before Alvaro Morata made it 3-0.
As Real's official Twitter account shared, Danilo earned another chance to start at full-back, while the out-of-form Karim Benzema maintained his spot in the team:
With Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla dropping points this weekend and Sociedad in solid form, Sunday's clash had major hype. Former NFL star Chad Johnson was one of many who wouldn't miss it:
Real started the contest in control, and it took just minutes for the visitors to run into their first booking, as star defender Martinez intervened too late.
The Basques didn't let the early pressure and the setback get the better of them, however, and while Los Blancos dominated possession, they didn't earn many chances in the early stages of the match.
On the counter-attack, La Real did some damage, and Juanmi almost broke through the defence, with Raphael Varane making a last-ditch tackle. Martinez made his way into midfield, only to be run over by Sergio Ramos, who was lucky to escape without a booking.
Benzema lost his man on a free-kick, forcing Keylor Navas to make an acrobatic clearance, and the Frenchman made things up by isolating Casemiro, who clumsily lost the ball.
As ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan shared, the home crowd was far from happy, as La Real appeared to be the better team for large stretches of the half:
Sergio Canales put Navas to work with a shot from long range, and Benzema wasted a great attacking move started by Ronaldo, allowing Kevin Rodrigues to clear.
The rain intensified as the half wore on, and this didn't help Real. Ronaldo drew another round of jeers for a poor pass that ran straight out of play, and the Portugal international clearly wasn't at his best during the first half.
But one flash from the Ballon d'Or winner was enough for his team to grab the lead, as Ronaldo played in Kovacic, who finished off a beautiful team move. Per sports writer Phil Kitromilides, it was his first-ever La Liga goal for Los Blancos:
The final chance of the half fell to the visitors as Juanmi went close to tying things up, aiming his shot inches wide of the post.
Real started the second half in better form than the first, and Ronaldo seemed determined to make his mark. He picked out Toni Kroos with a lovely backheel pass and added a second goal minutes later with a lovely dunked finish:
La Real responded by introducing Carlos Vela and Willian Jose, while Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane took off the disappointing Benzema for Morata.
Rodrigues joined Martinez and Kroos in the official's book for a nasty tackle on Lucas Vazquez as the intensity of the match remained high.
Morata thought he had added a third goal after 72 minutes, but as he wheeled away to celebrate, the flag went up for offside. Two minutes later, Martinez earned his second yellow for a wild tackle on Casemiro.
Per Corrigan, he had no reasons to complain:
The red card effectively ended the match, as Real comfortably took control of the ball with the advantage. Morata added a third goal with eight minutes left to play, and the team passed out the match after that.
Real's next outing will be at Celta Vigo on Feb. 5, while Sociedad will host Osasuna.
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