SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain : Kylian Mbappe scored and provided the assist for Arda Guler as Real Madrid weathered a second-half storm to beat Real Sociedad 2-1 on Saturday, maintaining their perfect LaLiga start despite playing most of the match with 10 men.
The visitors got off to a flying start when Mbappe burst forward in a quick counter-attack in the second minute and set up Guler for what appeared to be the opener, only for VAR to spot that the French striker had been marginally offside in the build-up.
Mbappe made amends 10 minutes later, pouncing on a wayward back-pass from Mikel Goti to Igor Zubeldia and racing unmarked towards goal before striking past keeper Alex Remiro with a tidy finish to his left.
But the side’s task became significantly harder when defender Dean Huijsen was shown a straight red card after the half-hour mark for hauling down Mikel Oyarzabal as the last man.
Real Madrid players and manager Xabi Alonso complained to referee Jesus Gil Manzano, arguing that Oyarzabal was far from the box and not close to being in a scoring position, but the official stuck by his decision and the VAR did not intervene.
“I thought it was a clear yellow card watching from the sideline and, after taking a close look at the replay, I’m even more sure that it wasn’t worth a straight red,” Alonso told a press conference.
“But I’m proud that my players kept fighting and came out with a win, we had good chances to score more goals and held on well on the back. I was very positive to see the collective effort and team spirit they showed on the pitch today.”
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Real Madrid doubled their lead just before halftime when Guler scored from close range following a great run by Mbappe who brilliantly put the ball on a plate for the Turkish midfielder inside a crowded box.
Real Sociedad pulled one back with Mikel Oyarzabal from the penalty spot in the 56th minute after a handball by Dani Carvajal, who started as right fullback with Alonso opting to leave Trent Alexander Arnold on the bench.
But the visitors held on for a hard-fought victory, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making crucial saves that helped to keep Real Madrid top of LaLiga with 12 points from four matches, three ahead of Athletic Bilbao who have a game in hand and host Alaves later on Saturday.
The defeat leaves winless Real Sociedad in 17th place with two points, just one spot above the relegation zone.
