Real Sociedad 0-1 Real Madrid: Match review | OneFootball

Real Madrid earned a 1-0 result at the Reale Arena as they picked a crucial first leg advantage against Real Sociedad in their Copa del Rey semi-final meeting.

Endrick was the sole scorer in the game as the Brazilian’s fourth goal in his last three matches in the domestic cup helped Carlo Ancelotti’s men secure a third straight win in all competitions in the space of a week.

Los Blancos were heavily rotated with Kylian Mbappe also eventually missing from the squad due to his tooth extraction earlier in the week. Ancelotti gave starting berths to the likes of Arda Guler, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Fran Garcia amongst others, whereas interestingly, Raul Asencio also started at right back instead of his usual position as the team’s central defender.

The match was played at a great intensity from start to finish with both teams playing end-to-end football when in possession. Having said that, Los Blancos, with their superior quality in midfield, created the better chances in the final third.

Although a 1-0 result is fair in the grand scheme of things, they had a couple of more chances through Endrick and Vinicius Junior to add to their advantage.

The team’s goal in the 19th minute came in absolutely clinical fashion. After Vinicius Junior recovered possession near the half line, Jude Bellingham played a superb pass over the top for Endrick. The 18-year-old took a fine first touch to get away from his man and smashed a powerful grounded shot with the outside of his boot past Alex Remiro to open proceedings.

Real Sociedad hit back almost instantly as they improved their control of the game after going down. Brais Mendez and Mikel Oyarzabal were repelled by Andriy Lunin, who had also saved from close range from Takefusa Kubo just three minutes into the game. The defenders, particularly Aurelien Tchouameni and Fran Garcia, did a decent job in keeping La Real’s danger men at bay.

A fairly even second half from both sides did not see any noteworthy chances, though the high tempo of the game continued until the final whistle. Real’s night was slightly tarnished owing to an injury suffered by Dani Ceballos, who has a muscular problem in his knee and will miss the next two months of action, thereby missing out on the round of 16 tie against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League from next week.

The second and decisive leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 1st with Real Madrid entering the game in four weeks looking to get the job done. Avoiding defeat in that match will lead them to the Copa del Rey final later in April against one of Atletico Madrid or Barcelona. The first leg of the semi-final between the two arch rivals ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

Madrid’s attention turns to La Liga next as they face Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin. They will have to do so without Bellingham and Ceballos, who are suspended and injured, respectively, although there is hope that Mbappe and Federico Valverde will return to the fore.