Real Madrid Go Four Points Clear In La Liga

 

Real Madrid moved four points clear at the top of La Liga with a 3-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu. Mateo Kovacic and Cristiano Ronaldo struck either side of half-time to put Zinedine Zidane's side in control, after they'd seen title rivals Barcelona and Sevilla both drop points earlier in the day.

Sociedad could have moved above Atletico Madrid and into the top four with a win, but any chance of a comeback was quashed late on as Inigo Martinez was sent off, before Alvaro Morata came off the bench to net a third.

Real struggled to really get going in the opening exchanges and when they did take the lead after 38 minutes it was from the first real chance they'd really created. Karim Benzema and Ronaldo combined before the latter slipped the ball in behind for Kovacic, and he made no mistake in slotting the ball home to bag his first ever La Liga goal.

Sociedad came out with plenty of attacking endeavour in the second half, but throwing bodies forward only saw them opened up at the other end as Ronaldo added a second six minutes after the break. It was the same combination as the first goal, but this time it was Kovacic who slipped in Ronaldo, and he coolly dinked the ball over Geronimo Rulli.

Martinez had been booked very early on for Sociedad after an aggressive aerial challenge on Ronaldo, and he was given his marching orders after 74 minutes when he went to clear the ball but missed it and ended up kicking Casemiro. The home side then made their extra-man advantage pay as Morata nodded home from a Vazquez cross after a lightning quick counter-attack in the 83rd minute.