Real Madrid misses the victory over Real Sociedad San Sebastian and loses feathers in the title struggle with FC Barcelona

Having already presented the league leaders yesterday, Barcelona was yet another setback for the Royals in the chase. In the duel with the pursuers of Real Sociedad, the Madridists did not get more than 0-0 and are now five points behind the Catalans.

The Royals were the dominant team from the start, with Sociedad continuing to balance the game somewhat in the first half. The hosts had their first good opportunity after 15 minutes, when Vinicius Jr. hit Igor Zubeldia’s tunnel in the 16th minute from the opponent and shot wide of the far post (14). But the guests also managed to set the accents over and over again. After Nacho Fernandez unnecessarily lost the ball and an inaccurate take-out by Toni Kroos, Asir Ilarramendi got a free kick in the penalty area and also missed (17).

As a result, the match turned in favor of the madridines and the guests did not seriously advance. The Brazilians continued their threats, and it was Vinicius Jr. who initially hit a long-range shot from Kroos (31). At the end of a strong line-up of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, Karim Benzema finished him off from the edge of the penalty area (36 d). Just before the end of the first half, the Frenchman took advantage of a bad pass from Brice Mendes and sent Vinicius into a one-on-one with Alex Remiro (45 + 1), but the goalkeeper was the winner in each of the three. Situations.

After the break, Real Madrid increased the pressure again and created good chances early on. But against Vinicius Jr., Remiro was the winner (48) and Rodrygo fired wide just wide from Robin Le Norman (50). On the other side, Alexander Sorloth, who was loaned from Leipzig, appeared in the penalty area for the first time, but his shot went just past the goal as well (52). As a result, the pressure from the Royals eased a little, although they had more shares in the game, it was the guests who initially had better chances to score.

Takefusa Kubo, through whom almost every Sociedad attack ran, appeared freely in the box and narrowly denied Thibaut Courtois (60). After just 12 minutes, it was the Japanese again, first to make Eduardo Camavinga look old and then play Robert Navarro, who also could not get past the Belgian. Soon after, there was a great chance for the hosts in the game as Vinicius Júnior appeared again, breaking free in front of Remiro and attempting to chip away at the goalkeeper. But the Spaniard reinforced his strong performance with another save and prevented his team from falling behind (72).

At the final stage, the guests managed to lag almost completely behind and allowed almost nothing. Substitute Luka Modric hit another good opportunity, but he shot far from the right (81). With a bit of luck and a great goalkeeper, the Basques fought back to equalize with a vastly superior Los Blancos and stayed three points behind Real Madrid.

Game sounds:

Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid coach): “We played very well and deserved to win. The team is getting better and better, it’s growing. We played very well with and without the ball, it was a complete game but we missed a goal and we were close. A draw I’m happy with because the team played very well. It was one of the best games so far.” We have shown a lot of commitment in all respects.”

Emmanol Alguacil (Manager of Real Sociedad): “It’s a point that almost feels like a win but to get a point here is a very solid performance. I think we had a great game, there were moments where we struggled but we also showed our brilliance. We had some setbacks before and after that it will be difficult against a team like Real Madrid, but I think we fought well. I’m happy and proud.”

Tweet about the game

It was noticeable: the Brazilians make the difference

Almost every Los Blancos attack was started by either Vinicius Junior or Rodrygo, in most cases by way of powerful dribbling. In the end, the final subtlety or harshness in the finish has always been missing, but nothing works without the Brazilians. Karim Benzema always had good moments, but the Frenchman was too pale for long periods, which cannot be said about his colleagues in attack.

The stats: 21

Vinicius Junior dribbled a total of 21 times against Real Sociedad, with the Brazilian scoring nine times. This is the highest number in a LaLiga game since data collection began.