Real Madrid maintained their flawless start to the La Liga season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena, despite being reduced to 10 men for nearly an hour.
The result extends Los Blancos’ dominance in this fixture, with Sociedad managing just one win in their last 14 meetings.
Madrid thought they had struck inside two minutes when Kylian Mbappé squared for Arda Güler to finish coolly, but the Frenchman was narrowly offside in the build-up.
Undeterred, Mbappé remained a constant menace, forcing a save from Álex Remiro before ruthlessly punishing debutant Mikel Goti’s misplaced pass.
Bursting past Duje Ćaleta-Car, he calmly slotted home to open the scoring.
Mbappé rattled the post shortly afterward, while Ander Barrenetxea went close for the hosts at the other end.
Eder Militão then tested Remiro twice, but the game shifted in the 32nd minute when Dean Huijsen received a straight red card for hauling back Mikel Oyarzabal.
Even so, Madrid doubled their advantage before halftime, Güler combining smartly with Mbappé and finding the net with precision.
Sociedad nearly pulled one back in bizarre fashion after the break, as Pablo Marín’s shot ricocheted off Aurélien Tchouaméni, hit both posts, and was eventually cleared by Militão.
Their persistence finally paid off when Dani Carvajal handled Barrenetxea’s cross, allowing Oyarzabal to convert from the penalty spot.
Mbappé spurned another chance following a dazzling run, but Sociedad kept pressing. Thibaut Courtois produced several decisive interventions, including denying Oyarzabal one-on-one and gathering Ćaleta-Car’s header late on.
Ultimately, Madrid’s resilience shone through as they recorded a fourth consecutive win, conceding for only the second time this season. In contrast, Sociedad’s poor start continues, leaving them winless and reeling from back-to-back defeats.
