Real Madrid and Real Sociedad faced off at the Santiago Bernabéu on matchday 24 of La Liga, sitting second and eighth respectively. After losing the first leg 2–1 at the Anoeta to Xabi’s side, the hosts turned things around with a dominant performance, securing a convincing 4–1 win in front of their home crowd.
The match had only just begun when, following a missed free kick from Sociedad, Gonzalo opened the scoring in the 4th minute with a precise finish from the center of the box into the bottom corner, assisted by a long ball from Trent. It marked his 11th goal with the first team, as the young striker continues to impress the Merengues.
Real Madrid started strongly, pressing high and creating chances. However, in the 20th minute, Huijsen conceded a penalty after a foul on Herrera in the box. Oyarzabal calmly converted, leveling the score amid loud celebrations from the away fans and visible frustration from Huijsen.
Just four minutes later, Madrid were awarded a penalty of their own for a questionable foul on Vinícius. The Brazilian confidently sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, placing the ball down the middle to restore the lead, much to the dismay of the visiting supporters.
Real kept pushing, and Valverde scored a spectacular goal, placing it perfectly into the top-right corner from an assist by Carreras. It was his first league goal of the season and his first since scoring in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal against Atlético Madrid, which ended 2–1 for Los Blancos.
Vinícius Jr delivered an outstanding performance, looking unstoppable on the ball and constantly threatening. By the 45th minute, Real were fully in control, with four minutes of added time given due to the two penalties. Right at the end of stoppage time, Gonzalo missed a clear chance in front of goal from a Valverde cross.
Early in the second half, Vinícius scored again from the penalty spot, placing it into the bottom-left corner after being brought down in the box by Aramburu. It was his 11th penalty goal out of 16 attempts in his career.
Madrid didn’t slow down at 4–1, continuing to press and attack relentlessly, with Valverde and Vinícius leading the charge. Arbeloa made his first substitutions, bringing on Alaba and Carvajal for Trent and Rüdiger, with Carvajal receiving a warm reception from the crowd.
Sociedad showed a brief spark but failed to capitalize. Madrid quickly regained control, with Gonzalo coming close to scoring again. Camavinga and Valverde were later replaced by Ceballos and Brahim Díaz.
Vinícius appeared to score a third goal with a header, but it was ruled offside. After two minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed Madrid’s victory, temporarily moving them ahead of Barcelona, who now must win against Girona on Monday.
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