Mbappe Scores Again As Real Madrid Edge Real Sociedad In Tense La Liga Encounter.
Kylian Mbappe continued his fine form for Real Madrid, netting his third goal in just two games as Los Blancos secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena.
The French forward, who had opened his La Liga account before the international break, calmly slotted home from the penalty spot late in the second half. His effort sent Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro the wrong way after Jon Aramburu was penalised for standing on Vinicius Jr’s foot in the box.
Earlier in the 58th minute, it was Vinicius Jr who had opened the scoring for Madrid, also from the penalty spot. The Brazilian confidently converted after former Manchester City left-back Sergio Gomez handled Arda Guler’s powerful strike. Vinicius’ goal marked his second of the La Liga season, continuing his strong start to the campaign.
Despite their defeat, Real Sociedad will likely be left wondering how they failed to take the lead at multiple stages of the game. The home side hit the woodwork three times, twice in the first half and once in the second, as they came agonisingly close to scoring.
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, could only watch helplessly as Luka Susic unleashed a powerful effort from the edge of the box in the 25th minute, only for the ball to crash against the crossbar. Sociedad were denied by the woodwork again ten minutes later when Dani Carvajal lost possession deep in his own half, allowing Sheraldo Becker to fire a left-footed shot that clipped the bar.
The frustration continued for Sociedad in the second half, as Croatian midfielder Luka Susic once again came close to scoring. Just 20 seconds after the restart, he expertly opened up his body to curl a left-footed effort past Courtois, but his shot struck the base of the post.
Injury concerns continued for Madrid, as England international Jude Bellingham remained on the sidelines, nursing a calf injury he sustained before the international break. Although Bellingham has returned to training, the club opted for caution and kept him out of the squad for this encounter.
With the victory, Real Madrid extended their unbeaten start to the season, now sitting just one point behind league leaders Barcelona, albeit having played a game more.
Real Madrid will now look to build on their momentum as the La Liga campaign progresses, while Sociedad will be left to rue their missed chances in what could have been a different result.
