Kylian Mbappe delivered another brilliant performance to help Real Madrid secure a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday, despite playing for an hour with 10 men following Dean Huijsen’s red card.
First-half goals from Mbappe and Arda Guler proved decisive, with Mikel Oyarzabal pulling one back for the hosts from the penalty spot. The win keeps Xabi Alonso’s men top of the table with 12 points from four matches, maintaining their 100% start to the season.
Madrid started brightly, with Guler having an early strike ruled out for offside. Mbappe opened the scoring after 12 minutes, latching onto a loose back-pass and outpacing two defenders before finishing clinically for his fourth league goal of the season.
Their momentum was checked when Huijsen, signed from Bournemouth in the summer, was sent off for hauling down Oyarzabal as he raced through on goal. Despite the setback, Mbappe produced another moment of magic before halftime, weaving inside from the left to set up Guler, who doubled the lead with a composed finish.
Sociedad improved after the break and Oyarzabal converted from the spot following a Dani Carvajal handball, but Thibaut Courtois made two crucial saves to preserve Madrid’s lead.
Alonso, who rotated his side by resting Fede Valverde and benching Trent Alexander-Arnold, substituted Vinicius Junior late on to tighten up defensively.
Los Blancos held firm through six minutes of added time to secure a hard-fought win against their Basque opponents, still searching for their first victory under new coach Sergio Francisco.
