Kylian Mbappé continued his red-hot form in La Liga 2025 with a goal and an assist as 10-man Real Madrid battled to a gritty 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad, maintaining their 100% start to the season.
The French superstar opened the scoring after pouncing on a defensive blunder and later turned provider for Arda Güler, giving Real Madrid a 2-0 lead before Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty brought Real Sociedad back into the game.
Mbappé, who now has four goals in La Liga this season, showcased his elite pace and finishing skills in the 16th minute. A careless backpass by Mikel Goti left the Sociedad defense scrambling, allowing Mbappé to outrun Igor Zubeldia and shrug off Duje Ćaleta-Car before slotting a precise finish past the keeper from the edge of the box.
The match turned just past the half-hour mark when Dean Huijsen was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul on Oyarzabal, forcing Madrid to play nearly an hour with 10 men.
Despite the setback, Madrid doubled their lead through Arda Güler in the 41st minute. Mbappé weaved past Aritz Elustondo and delivered a clever cut-back through a packed box, with Güler coolly finishing to put Madrid 2-0 up.
The hosts were handed a lifeline shortly after the break when Dani Carvajal was penalized for handball. Oyarzabal stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.
With Sociedad pressing for an equalizer, Real Madrid showed great defensive resilience. Trent Alexander-Arnold came on late for Carvajal as Madrid held firm to claim a vital three points.
With the win, Carlo Ancelotti’s side sit top of the La Liga table with 12 points from four matches, five ahead of rivals Barcelona, who face Valencia later on Sunday.
It was an emotional return to Anoeta for Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, who rose through the ranks at Real Sociedad as both a player and coach.
