Real Madrid secured a vital 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday night at the Anoeta Stadium. It was a good victory at the home of a team who are hoping to qualify for European competition next season. However, the most important aspect of the victory was the fact it moved Real Madrid above Barcelona in the league table.
It took until the 50th minute for Real Madrid to open the scoring in the game and it was defender Sergio Ramos who found the back of the net from the penalty spot. It appeared as though Real Sociedad had equalised but the goal was ruled out as Mikel Merino was judged to have interfered with play despite not having touched the ball.
Real Madrid took full advantage of the decision by going down the other end of the pitch and scoring their second goal through Karim Benzema. Real Sociedad got a goal back in the 83rd minute but Real Madrid held firm to seal the victory. That result leaves both Real Madrid and Barcelona on 65 points but it is Real Madrid who are top of the table thanks to a superior head to head record this season.
Having resumed the 2019/20 season in 2nd place, Real Madrid have enjoyed the restart by winning all 3 of their matches. In addition to the victory over Real Sociedad, they have defeated Eibar and Valencia at home. The results are in stark contrast to their form prior to the suspension of the league. Real Madrid won only one of their 4 La Liga games prior to the coronavirus outbreak, losing at both Levante and Real Betis.
However, the victory at Real Sociedad will give Real Madrid plenty of confidence they now have what it takes to remain at the top of the table until the end of the season. Looking at the remaining fixtures, Zinedine Zidane will see no reason why his team cannot win each of the remaining 8 games. Athletic Bilbao away is probably their toughest remaining fixture but it is worth remembering that every match will be played behind closed doors. That will work to their advantage when playing teams such as Athletic Bilbao away.
Barcelona will believe they have resumed the season strongly having picked up 7 points from a possible 9 available. The dropped points came in their most recent fixture away against Sevilla but in most circumstances that would be considered a decent result. In terms of their toughest remaining fixtures, Barcelona face Atletico Madrid at home and Villarreal away.
There is potential for dropped points in both matches and Real Madrid will be watching on hoping to see their bitter rivals slip up in those games. Real Madrid have only won one La Liga title since 2012 but they are now 8 victories away from winning the league. That has to make them the favourites, especially considering their remaining fixtures involve only two of the current top six and both of those matches are at ‘home’.
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