A solid Madrid prevails and leads the table
Without Kylian Mbappé on the field, but with his spirit in the group after a team dinner this week, Real Madrid showed that their strength is collective. They beat a powerful Real Sociedad 4-1 and became leaders.
Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said on Friday that he could play, but evidently did not want to rush his star scorer.
And it wasn’t necessary. With Jude Bellingham also injured, others took responsibility. Vinícius Júnior was unstoppable, scoring two penalties and being the constant nightmare of the visiting defense.
Fede Valverde, the captain, broke his scoring drought this season with a great goal from outside the area. It was an exhibition of maturity and control against an opponent that came in with 10 games without losing.
Iglesias has the last word in Vigo
While they celebrated in Madrid, in Vigo they experienced a movie ending. Borja Iglesias, from Celta, saw the VAR disallow an apparently legal goal in the 77th minute.
Frustration grew when Espanyol scored what looked like the winning goal with six minutes remaining. But Iglesias did not give up.
In the third minute of stoppage time, he appeared to tie the game and rescue a valuable point. A lesson in resilience within the field.
In other games, Getafe surprised Villarreal and Sevilla, with one player less for almost the entire match, achieved a hard-fought draw against Alavés.
