 |
| "Vinicius and Mbappe's Penalties Secure 2-0 Win for Real Madrid Against Real Sociedad" |
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both converted penalties to secure a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid against Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday. With this win, the Spanish champions closed the gap to just one point behind leaders Barcelona, who are set to play Girona, last season's surprise team, on Sunday.
Real Sociedad came close to scoring multiple times, hitting the woodwork three times before Madrid took advantage in the second half to claim all three points from the end-to-end battle at the Reale Arena.
Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had to make adjustments due to the absence of injured midfielders Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni. He also opted to start Brahim Diaz in place of Rodrygo Goes.
Following Mbappe's brace in his previous match, much of the attention was on the French striker. He forced a sharp save from Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro and had a promising run stopped by last-minute defending.
Real Sociedad nearly broke the deadlock early when new signing Luka Sucic hit a powerful long-range shot against the crossbar, one of the team’s three close calls with the woodwork.
Ancelotti was forced to bring on Rodrygo after Diaz picked up an injury, and Madrid created more chances through Antonio Rudiger's header, which was superbly saved by Remiro, and a dangerous Mbappe shot that narrowly missed the target.
Sociedad continued to push forward, with forward Sheraldo Becker striking the bar once again. Sucic also saw his low effort ricochet off the post early in the second half, as luck was not on their side.
Madrid finally capitalized on Sociedad's misfortune when Vinicius coolly slotted home a penalty in the 58th minute, awarded after Sergio Gomez was penalized for handballing a shot from Arda Guler. Minutes later, Mbappe added a second goal from the spot, sending Remiro the wrong way after Jon Aramburu fouled Vinicius.
The final 15 minutes were comfortable for Real Madrid as they saw out the game without difficulty, preparing themselves for their upcoming Champions League fixture against Stuttgart on Tuesday.
MBAPPÉ SCORES FOR REAL MADRID!
— Galactic Vikings (@galacticvikings) September 14, 2024
100% Penalty scored in La Liga🔥#Mbappepic.twitter.com/WV8HNDMFAo
GOAL VINICIUS JR!!! HE SCORES THE PENALTY. pic.twitter.com/KTZ4qOJYTg
— Dr Yash (@YashRMFC) September 14, 2024
Earlier in the day, Sevilla secured their first win of the season with a narrow 1-0 victory over Getafe, while Villarreal temporarily moved up to third place with a 2-1 win against Mallorca.