Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad summary: score, goals, highlights | LaLiga Santander 2022-23

Real Madrid and Barcelona in LaLiga action in midweek

The LaLiga title race continues in midweek, with Real Madrid and Barcelona both in action. 

Carlo Ancelotti's side host Valencia on Thursday (3pm ET), 24 hours after Barça travel to Real Betis (also 3pm ET). 

​​​​​​​A chance for Los Blancos to make up some points? A trip to the Benito Villamarín is never easy...

Álex Remiro: "Imanol knows how to get the best out of us"

A good point: "I'm happy with the point and my own performance. Playing against these teams, they usually make you pay and we normally do too, even if we had less chances. But we weren't clinical in front of goal. Happy with the draw".

Nacho's possible red card: "I was too far away. If those who were closer think it's worth making a complaint, then we'll see".

Imanol Alguacil: "Imanol knows how to get the best out of us. It's no coincidence. He knows what makes us tick".

Elustondo's injury: "There are too many players out. I've seen the incident with Elustondo and it was a bad collision, let's hope it's nothing. I'll see him now".

Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil: "I can only thank and congratulate the players"

Pride: "We've had a really hard week. A lot of players were only just fit enough to play. I can only congratulate the players and thank them. I hope the fans are proud. We couldn't win, but it's a point that is just reward for what we have done".

Reinforcing the midfield: "I had it in mind before the game and the players knew that. We had to bring on Navarro and play a 4-4-2 in defence and 4-3-3 in attack. We executed it well. We had our chances. I'm happy, it's not an easy stadium to play in. It's even more impressive because of the way we came into the game."

Zubeldia at full-back: "It's one more injury (to Elustondo), that's a lot of injuries. Situations that have to be managed and changed. It went well. Sometimes we've put him there and although he's not that comfortable, someone had to do it".

Academy products: "You can imagine how I feel about that, I'm a product of the academy. That's what we always say. We are proud of what we do with our youth system. To do what we've done today is a real pleasure and a source of pride".

Elustondo's injury: "It's a sprain. Let's hope it's less serious this time. We'll wait for them to assess it and see how bad it is".

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois: "Sometimes you play well and you don't win"

A bad taste in the mouth: "It's a bit bad, you want to win your game. We had a lot of chances. Today we deserved to win. I'm disappointed, they're a great team and they can put you in trouble. A draw obviously makes you feel bad".

A great game from Remiro: "It often happens that a goalkeeper has a great game here. Remiro is a great goalkeeper, he stops the first two down low and then the one that Vinicius tries to dink over him. He had a great game".

Possible penalty for holding: "Some people say it could have been a penalty, but holding is a bit of a lottery, sometimes it's given and sometimes it isn't. A dubious penalty is not going to be a penalty. A dubious penalty is not going to change the fact that we had many chances to score".

How to deal with dropped points: "Win on Thursday. Lately, Barcelona have been playing before us and that puts us under more pressure. It is  important to get back into the habit of winning. Today we played well, sometimes you play well and don't win. Let's keep going".

Nacho: "It was a very good game to watch"

General assessment: "It was a very good game to watch, very intense, it was a great game from both teams. We had the clearest chances, but we didn't put them away. It's a pity about the draw, we wanted to win. "

Chances to score: "Remiro and La Real are having a great season. I think we did a great job, but we leave with a bad taste in our mouths. But it's a very long season, we're not just going to dwell on this one."

His possible sending-off: "I don't know, it was strange. It's true that I stopped them from playing, but I thought it was a throw-in for us, but it's true that I shouldn't have stopped them. Fortunately, it wasn't a card. These things happen in soccer".

Frustration: "Yes, when you create clear chances and miss them, it's demoralising. The team gave their all throughout the match. We were also affected by the extra time the other day in the cup. But this is very long season. We have to fight for everything".

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti: "It was a complete performance"

As I suspected, and as if fair, Carlo Ancelotti was more than pleased with his side's showing:

The performance: "It's a shame. We played very well, we deserved to win. It was a complete performance, we only needed to score, we came close. It's a draw and I'm satisfied because the team played very well".

Possible fatigue: "We pushed hard for 90 minutes, with lots of intensity. Real Sociedad didn't play the way they like to play, we pressed high up. You couldn't tell that we played extra time on Thursday, the team played with a lot of intensity until the end".

Camavinga at full-back: "Camavinga did well. He's not used to it but we created a lot of chances from that flank with Vinicius".

Substitutions: "In the end, Asensio took Valverde's place in the midfield three with Rodrygo more on the wing or coming inside. It was difficult to make the changes because nobody deserved to come off. I saw the team doing well on the field and I didn't want to change things. It was a good game. I'm satisfied".

The league table: "We're five points behind, we have to catch them up".

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad reaction on its way!

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, defender Nacho and Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro have been speaking to Spanish broadcaster Movistar immediately after the game. 

What they said coming right up! 

They did put it in the box...and out the other side. What a waste.

Please put this one in the box...

Another corner for Real Sociedad! This'll surely be the last kick of the game...

Sorry, but I can't understand that. A corner for La Real, a chance to win the game and they try to keep it in the corner. They had men in the box, too. Poor. 

Oooooh, a chance for Illarramendi to win the game from the edge of the box! Deflected out for a corner...

The first sign of timewasting from Real Sociedad in the 93rd minute. Remiro taking an age to take a free-kick. 

Oh my word. Real Madrid making a dog's dinner of trying to work the ball out from the back and Courtois has the ball almost on his line with Kubo closing him down. The Belgian does enough to hack it away. 

I'm going to say it. Real Sociedad are finishing the game the stronger. 

Maybe not. Five minutes of added time. 

Just as I say that, the flow of Real Madrid attacks has stopped a little (watch them score in my next post).  

Real Sociedad trying to play their game and play out from the back, which is admirable. You just get the feeling that it could catch them out...

Less than five minutes to go. As things stand, Real Madrid are going to fall five points behind Barcelona...

Comedy capers on the touchline as Alguacil collects the ball as it goes out of play and runs towards his bench with it, stopping Rüdiger from taking the throw-in. Yellow card for the Real Sociedad coach. 

Last change for Real Sociedad. Fernández on for Sorløth. 

Kubo's got away with one there, BIG TIME. He tries to let the ball run out for a goal kick under pressure from Kroos and Nacho. Madrid manage to keep it in but La Real just manage to shuffle the ball away. 

Modric's first serious involvement! The Croat sneaks into the Real Sociedad box and aims for the far corner but gets far too much curl on the ball and it doesn't even go out of play by the corner. 

10 minutes to go. I'm inshock that this is goalless. 

That pass from Zubimendi is exactly the kind of pass Imanol Alguacil will want his team to avoid. La Real looking to play out from the back but the midfielder gives it straight to Kroos inside the visitors' half. They got away with it that time...

Luka Modric time for Real Madrid

Ceballos and Valverde are off. Modric and Asensio on for Real Madrid.

Not a bad duo to bring on. 

Nacho a little bit lucky to avoid a second yellow card as he stops Illarramendi from taking a quick through...

A little while ago, I would have put my house on Real Madrid scoring. Just as well I didn't, as La Real have come right back into this. The hosts still look the more likely but Real Sociedad carry a serious threat. 

Superb save from Remiro to deny Vinícius!

Superb play from Vinícius to jink beyond the Real Sociedad defence and he's one-on-one with Remiro. The Brazilian tries to dink it over the goalkeeper but Remiro guesses right and beats it away!

La Real have come right back into this! And Kubo is the instigator! The Japanese gets away from Camavinga and rolls the ball across the box to Navarro, who shoots first time but his deflected shot is straight at Courtois. 

Kubo again threatens!

Kubo has grown into this game and has become a real threat. He wriggles his way into the box and looks to have a clear sight of goal, only to overrun his final touch which allows Courtois to gather. He left a bit on the big Belgian there, Courtois wasn't best pleased. 

Olasagati immediately involved as he blasts a hopeful one goalwards. Well over. 

Not only has Elustondo been shown a yellow card, he's injured himself in the process. A double whammy. Olasagasti comes on.  

Camavinga chases a loose ball down by the corner flag and wins a free-kick from Elustondo, who gets a yellow card for his troubles. 

This is such high-quality soccer. Real Madrid are brimming with confidence and some of their play around the box is a joy to watch. La Real holding firm though. 

Courtois saves from Kubo!

A matter of seconds later, Kubo is again involved. The Japanese has come over to the right and makes space for a shot, which almost sneaks under Courtois!

Risky, RISKY defending from Militão. Kubo tries to feed one into the box and the Brazilian leans into it with his shoulder and only just avoids making contact with his arm.

Oooooooft, it's not often you see Karim Benzema lash one so far off target. His blushes were spared by the offside flag but that wasn't pretty. 

Massive block from Zubeldia!

What a huge tackle from Zubeldia! A free-flowing move from Real Madrid looks certain to end with Rodrygo bursting the net but Zubeldia appears out of nowhere to block the Brazilian's shot!

Changes for Real Sociedad.

Navarro and Marín on for Méndez and Oyarzabal. 

In amongst all that, La Real managed a break forward and Sorløth went clean through on goal. He shot wide and was offside anyway, though. 

This is an all-out assault on the Real Sociedad goal at the start of the second half...

Rodrygo and Valverde - with a characteristic blockbuster - come inches away from bursting the Real Sociedad net from outside the box!

Vinícius...saved!

The big chances continue to fall to Vinícuus for Real Madrid and he continues to squander them. A difficult angle but the Brazilian should perhaps do better. Remiro saves down low. 

A great chance for Real Sociedad to counterattack there but Oyarzabal is too slow to pick a pass to Sorløth and the chance is gone. 

Ceballos effort saved!

Within 10 seconds of the restart, Ceballos fires one goalwards and Remiro has to get down to make a smart stop!

Back underway at the Santiago Bernabéu!

Karim Benzema one goal away from overtaking Real Madrid legend Raúl

Karim Benzema needs one goal to overtake Real Madrid legend Raúl in terms of league goals for the club. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has more than those two. 

Half-time: Real Madrid 0-0 Real Sociedad

A breathless first half! Hugely entertaining, despite there being no goals. Hopefully that's come across and, if you're watching, you agree!

Real Madrid have ended the half in the ascendency, without doubt, although Real Sociedad have had their moments too. Sorløth really should have knocked Muñoz's cross in early on and Illarramendi blasted a fine strike inches wide of Courtois' post soon after. 

But the chances came up the other end as the half drew to a close. Vinícius has had the best of them, shooting just wide after a brilliant nutmeg on Elustondo before prodding the ball straight at Remiro when he really should have done better with almost the last kick of the half. Benzema and Kroos have also tested the Real Sociedad goalkeeper with rather more optimistic efforts from distance. 

The French striker has, as ever, dazzled with his footwork and has often left us wondering how he's managed to keep a hold of the ball when La Real looked certain to pinch it off him. Big Benz is just like a fine wine. Vinícius hasn't been quite as refined in front of goal but both he and Rodrygo have been a constant threat. 

More of the same after half-time, please!

Crucial save from Remiro from Vinícius!

Brais Méndez has had a nightmare there, he gifts the ball straight to Benzema, who plays Vinícius clean through...a poor effort from the Brazilian allows Remiro to save. 

One minute of added time.

Ceballos...just wide!

Another corner, another half-clearance. It falls to Ceballos this time, who curls wide from the edge of the area. 

Valverde thunderbolt....! That may have landed in the second, or even third, tier. A Kroos corner was cleared out to the midfielder and his eyes lit up. He couldn't keep it down though. 

As that corner came in, Le Normand and Rüdiger were again involved a wrestling match in the box...nothing given.

Nacho is shown a yellow card after a clash on the edge of the box with Le Normand. 

End-to-end stuff! A free-kick for La Real almost lands at the feet of Le Normand inside the box and a millisecond later Madrid have raced up the other end through Rodrygo, but Vinícius is unable to pick out Kroos in the area. 

Things are moving fast out there!

Clever from Le Normand to win a free-kick inside his own box under serious pressure from countryman Benzema. The battle of the Frenchman and the defender came out on top there.

Benzema...saved!

The first few minutes of pressure from Real Madrid. Rodrygo neatly back-flicks the ball to Benzema at the edge of the box and he hits a ferocious drive towards goal but it's straight at Remiro, who gathers at the second attempt. 

Kroos tests Remiro!

Slick stuff from Madrid as they work their way through the gears. Vinícius races away down the left and plays it infield, whose layoff invites Kroos to hit it first time. Remiro gets down quickly to beat the ball to safety. 

A very well worked move by Real Sociedad almost gets Méndez in behind but Oyarzabal's pass is just too high and the ball runs out for a goal kick. 

I don't think I've ever seen that before. Oyarzabal leaves a foot in on Kroos and his studs look to get stuck in the German's laces, which sends both spinning through the air like gymnasts. 

Kubo is drifting in from the left flank and picking up some intelligent positions between Real Madrid's midfield and defence. The hosts will have to keep an eye on that. 

Zubimendi is first to see yellow as he flies into a tackle on Ceballos in midfield. 

Crucial interception from Muñoz! Excellent pressing from Valverde wins possession for Madrid high up the pitch and the Uruguayan looks to have set Rodrygo through on goal until Muñoz's intervention. 

Poor from Vinícius that time. He picked the ball up in a good position and had space to run into but his attempted pass to Benzema was nowhere near the Frenchman. 

Camavinga at left-back was one of the headlines in the Real Madrid line-up but he's not been tested defensively. Instead, he's just dropped the shoulder and zoomed past Elustodo as if he weren't there. The Frenchman's cross was cleared though. 

This is just top quality stuff. Vinícius makes a fool of another Real Sociedad defender, out on the right this time, and charges into the box but isn't able to pick out a teammate in the middle. 

La Real knocking the ball around nicely too. 

Superb. 

What a start to the game this has been...

Illarramendi inches wide!

We could easily have had three goals already! Far too easy for Kubo to play Muñoz in down the left and the defender's cross is cleared to Illarremendi, who hits a fantastic angled drives inches past the post! Courtois had no chance there. 

Vinícius magic!

Absolutely majestic from Vinícius! A textbook nutmeg on Zubeldia in the box and he's in the perfect position to curl it into the corner...just wide!

What a goal that would've been!

Both teams look keen to push their defences high up the pitch when possible, which means most of the play has been pretty condensed so far. Who will be able to break in behind? Vini and Rodrygo like space to run into...

Vinícius doing Vinícius things (i.e. bursting past his marker) but this time Zubeldia comes across to help out Elustondo. No way through. 

Camavinga at left-back is an interesting one. Let's see if La Real try to target him considering he's not used to playing there. 

Benzema brilliance!

What is Benzema on at the moment? He skips round various opposition defenders and into the box when it looks as if there's no space to do so. He fires it past Remiro from the goal line but there are no takers in the middle and Zubeldia clears. 

La Real should be ahead!

What a huge chance for La Real! Oyarzabal gets in a nice pocket of space and feeds it wide to Muñoz, whose cross looks set to be prodded home by Sorloth but he completed misses the ball. He should've got something on that.

A bit of grappling in the box between Le Normand and Rüdiger, the kind that never gets given as a penalty unless the ball's in play. Corner cleared.

A decent delivery from the German and the ball is cleared out for a corner which he'll also take...

A first chance for Kroos to get the ball into the box from a set play...

We've seen some absolutely sensational touches from Karim Benzema in Real Madrid's last few matches and he's started off in the same vein here. Not that it led to anything but it looked good. 

And away we go! Early possession for the visitors. 

The calm before the storm

The teams are out, 'Hala Madrid' is ringing around the Santiago Bernabéu, scarves are being held up in the air. 

Real Sociedad will get us underway.

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: countdown to kick-off!

Will these two be looking at each other like this in a couple of hours' time?

Almost time to go, this should be a cracker (famous last words)!

Real Sociedad team to play Real Madrid

And here is the Real Sociedad side that will go in search of a sixth league win in a row. It'll be a tough ask, especially with so many absentees...

Real Madrid team to play Real Sociedad

Around five minutes to go until kick-off! Here's a little reminder of how Real Madrid line up for the game. 

Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil: "We have to play our own game"

When asked about how his team could win away to Real Madrid, Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil had a simple answer: "We need to be ourselves and play our own game. We have to be aggressive, be brave. It's really difficult to defend for 96 minutes."

"I really love Real Madrid's competitive spirit, which is what almost always makes them win. That makes them different from everyone else."

LA LIGA SANTANDER

Everything Carlo Ancelotti had to say in the press conference before the LaLiga game against Real Sociedad

The post below highlights the 'best bits' from Ancelotti's press conference on Saturday. If you want to see what else he said, here's Joe with all the details!

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti: "We have to be better in the first half of games"

In his pre-match press conference, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was asked about how he saw his opponents, Real Sociedad, saying “they are playing very well and are on a great run. We have to be better in the first halves of games. After what happened against Atlético, it is important to play a complete game in both attack and defence.”

When asked about whether Madrid's mentality overpowers their tactics, Ancelotti was straight-talking. “They also said that last year. We have tactics. Sometimes we do well and sometimes not. Madrid doesn't have a clear identity, for the simple reason that I want it that way. A good team knows how to do a lot of things.”

Thibaut Courtois: Real Madrid's underrated star

Is that a fair comment? I think it is. Courtois himself has complained in the past about not being given the recognition he feels he deserves for his performances. His saves have won Real Madrid plenty of points in the last few seasons and, most notably, a Champions League final last June. 

A familiar face on the Real Madrid bench

Former Madrid men Kubo and Illarramendi start for La Real but former Real Sociedad right-back Álvaro Odriozola has to settle for a place on the hosts' bench. His time in the Spanish capital really hasn't been a success having appeared in only 31 league matches - often from the bench - in four seasons with Los Blancos. He's not played a single minute of LaLiga football this season, his only two appearances coming in the Copa del Rey. 

Home comforts for Real Madrid

Real Madrid are unbeaten in 11 home matches in all competitions this season, the latest of which was Thursday's extra-time win over city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Nine of those games have ended in victory. 

Incredibly enough though, they've kept only one clean sheet at the Santiago Bernabéu this season, against RB Leipzig in the Champions League. 

Real Madrid "in the zone" ahead of Real Sociedad clash

What did soccer players do while walking from the bus into the stadium before earphones? I dread to think.

Surely they didn't speak to each other, did they? 

Two former Real Madrid players start for Real Sociedad

Takefuso Kubo is one of two former Real Madrid players in the Real Sociedad starting line-up. 

The Japanese joined the Basque outfit directly from Madrid last year, although you'll know him best from his loan spells at Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe. He didn't play a first-team game in three years in the Spanish capital. 

Asier Illarremendi played 59 league matches for Los Blancos- which I'm finding hard to believe - in two seasons between 2013 and 2015. He's been plagued with injuries in the last few seasons; his 16 appearances this term are already more than any other since 2018-19. 

Real Sociedad team to play Real Madrid

Here we go! Our friends from the Basque Country have named their starting line-up for the game against Real Madrid. 

Remiro; Elustondo, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Muñoz; Méndez, Zubimendi, Illarramendi, Kubo; Sorloth, Oyarzabal. 

Real Sociedad: 2022-23 season so far

Real Sociedad are the in-form team in LaLiga Santander Until their narrow Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona in midweek, they were on a run of nine victories in a row in all competitions, which was a club record. As things stand, they have won their last five league fixtures, a sequence that has propelled them into third place in the league, where they currently sit four points ahead of Atlético Madrid (with a game in hand) and seven above Villarreal.

Imanol Alguacil’s men topped their Europa League group ahead of Manchester United, helped by a superb 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on the opening matchday. They are in the hat for the last 16 draw but their league form means they’ll have their hearts set on qualifying for the Champions League in 2023-24. Given the lead they hold over the sides below them, it’s well in their hands, although Alguacil will be keen for key players such as David Silva and Mikel Merino to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.

Real Madrid: 2022-23 season so far

In the first couple of months of the campaign, Real Madrid looked as if they were going to cruise to the league title. Barcelona were never far behind but were beset by off-field issues and Los Blancos comfortably won the first Clásico of the campaign to move to the top of LaLiga. They easily qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and all seemed rosy, despite Karim Benzema’s ongoing injury issues.

A couple of weeks before the World Cup break, however, the wheels came off somewhat, with a home draw against Girona and a defeat to Rayo Vallecano. The malaise continued after Qatar as they were beaten in Villarreal and convincingly lost in the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona.

But you know better than to write Real Madrid off, don’t you? Since losing to Barça, they’ve won their last three matches, a run which was instigated by a comeback from 2-0 down to knock Villarreal out of the Copa del Rey. The return to form is most welcome, as they find themselves six points behind Barcelona at the top of LaLiga heading into this game against Real Sociedad. There’s no room for a slip-up…

LALIGA SANTANDER

A new role has emerged for Ceballos at Madrid

Karim Benzema has obviously been one of the star turns for Real Madrid for a number of years but one man who definitely hasn't is Dani Ceballos, who my colleague Sergio has dubbed the (former) invisible man. 

"Ceballos currently has his confidence levels through the roof and in terms of football, he is excelling. The lacklustre performances of Kroos and the fatigue of Modric opened up a spot in midfield. He had a great game in Villarreal (including the winning goal), a strong performance in San Mamés and a sensational derby..."

It's been some transformation in the last few weeks for a player who has suffered some bad injuries, was sent out on loan to Arsenal and spent long periods watching on from the bench.

Ceballos starts against Real Sociedad. Here's more on his re-emergence as an important player for Real Madrid. 

LALIGA SANTANDER

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema’s surprising Santiago Bernabéu run

Going back to the Real Madrid line-up, you won't be surprised to hear that Karim Benzema is starting (and captains the team). You will, however, be shocked to hear of his lack of goals at the Santiago Bernabéu, which is made all the more bizarre by the fact that he's been in superb form of late (nine goals in 10 games in all competitions). 

On top of that, last weekend's goal away to Athletic Club drew him level with Raúl on 228 league goals for Real Madrid, one tonight will move him into second spot on his own. I'm sure you can have a guess at who's first...

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Most of you probably won't need much introduction to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. If you've never been, I highly recommend a visit. One of the most 'wow' stadiums I've ever been to. 

It's looking fairly magnificent tonight. 

Real Sociedad team to play Real Madrid...

No news on the Real Sociedad team yet so for now you'll have to make do with the squad that's travelled to Madrid for the game. 

What I can tell you is that they’ve got an injury list as long as my arm. David Silva, Merino, Sola, Sadiq, Guevara, Gorosabel and Cho are all absent. That’s a bit of a spanner in the works for them as they look for a sixth straight league win.

Real Madrid team to face Real Sociedad

As aaaaaalways happens, Real Madrid have gone super early with their starting line-up for Sunday’s clash. Here goes:

Courtois; Nacho, Militão, Rüdiger, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinícius.

An interesting looking back four, with Nacho, as he often does, and Camavinga, who may start doing it more, filling in in the full-back positions.

LALIGA

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: times, how to watch on TV, stream online | LaLiga

Of course, you may be looking for a way to watch Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad, in which case, you are bang in luck.

If you’re in the United States, there is a way and this is it!

What time does Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad kick off?

Real Madrid against Real Sociedad gets underway at 9pm local time in Spain, that’s 3pm ET and 12pm PT. Over the course of the next 90 minutes, I’ll be bringing you build-up, team news and plenty, plenty more.

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

Hello and welcome to Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad!

And just like that, the pressure is on for Real Madrid. Barcelona’s win against Girona on Saturday means Carlo Ancelotti’s men now find themselves six points adrift of their arch-rivals at the top of LaLiga Santander. How did that happen?!

A must-win game for them on Sunday, then, against one of the most in-form teams in Spain, Real Sociedad.

Thanks for joining me (Roddy) for this one, it’s beautifully set up!