Vinicius dons Carnival mask as Madrid thrash Real Sociedad
Los Blancos put on a show at the Bernabéu with Vinicius bagging a brace from the spot in a commanding 4-1 victory that keeps the pressure on Barcelona.
Madrid showed they don’t need Mbappé to put on a proper show, as they dismantled an in-form Real Sociedad side at the Bernabéu.
Carnival comes early for Vini
Vinicius Jr was in full Carnival mode on Saturday night, bagging himself a brace from the penalty spot as Los Blancos ran riot against La Real. The Brazilian was absolutely on one, causing havoc for the visitors’ defence all evening.
Early doors
The rout began with Gonzalo finding the net early doors, setting the tone for what would become a proper hammering. Madrid looked sharp from the off, clearly fancied it today against a Sociedad side that had been in decent nick coming into this one.
Midfield masterclass
Fede Valverde put the cherry on top with an absolute worldie. The Uruguayan’s strike was the pick of the bunch in a dominant midfield display that had the Bernabéu faithful purring.
Title race implications
This 4-1 thumping does Arbeloa’s men a world of good in the title race, putting some proper pressure on Barcelona. The Catalans will be looking over their shoulders now as Madrid are breathing right down their necks in the battle for top spot.
Sociedad, who arrived in the capital with their tails up, got a proper schooling tonight. They managed to nick a consolation, but it was small comfort on an evening when Madrid were firing on all cylinders.
The bigger picture
Madrid’s ability to produce such a commanding performance without certain star names shows the depth and quality at their disposal. If they can maintain this level of intensity, they’ll fancy their chances of overtaking Barça in the coming weeks.