Real Madrid had a unique opportunity to return to top of the table after Barça´s draw against Sevilla on Friday. Zidane´s team couldn´t afford to waste this chance as they visited one of the most difficult stadiums in the first division. On the other side, Real Sociedad had not started the right way after the break, as they have only added 1 out of 6 points on their two matches they had played until now, which has allowed Atlético to snap them away from the Champions League spots. Big game ahead of us at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastián.
Game started with a fast rhythm, with both teams trying to take over the ball and make fast runs in transitions. Real Sociedad presented an advanced defensive line and a very high pressure on a 4-2-3-1 system. Zidane bet for a 4-3-3 with a midfield formed by a triangle formed by Casemiro and Kroos as typical midfielders, Valverde on the cusp, and James and Vinicius on the wings.
Apart from the first ten minutes, both teams got stuck on the creative area, as they were unable to find the way to break down two approaches that were focused on closing down space in the middle and provoked multiple looses on the rival. Real Sociedad did not shot on target and Madrid only took two by Benzema and Vinicius. There were barely any chances as the score at halftime was 0-0.
Zidane put James in the middle and Valverde on the wing after the break so the Colombian could touch more the ball. Vinicius was the most energetic player and he provoked a non-existent penalty that Ramos took to score the first one.
Game followed the same script; with a very comfortable Madrid on the pitch and that they stayed backwards as they did not need to look for another goal. This way, Real Sociedad put Januzaj on the pitch, who took a shot that went in, but referee disallowed it due to another non-existent offside.
Benzema controlled the ball with his shoulder/hand in the next play and scored the second one. Three controversial decisions, the three of them went in favor of Real Madrid. A game that was supposed to be on a draw turned out into a 0-2: Game over. Merino put the 1-2 and Real Sociedad died on the opponent´s half, but Madrid held the win and now return to top of the table on a match very influenced by VAR decisions.
