Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 1-0 at the San Sebastian and made sure that they are still in the title race. Gareth Bale once again stepped up n the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo as he scored the only goal in the 80th minute.
It was a night when Real Madrid could have easily scored 5 goals without much fuss but La Real goalie keeper Rulli kept them at bay. Real Madrid might be playing without Cristiano Ronaldo but Bale showed what he is capable of and rose to the occasion once again. Let us take a look at ho the players performed:
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Real Sociedad:
Geronimo Rulli 6.5
The Argentine goalkeeper was the best player on the pitch for Sociedad as he denied Real Madrid on several occasions before Gareth Bale’s header went past him.
Joseba Zaldua 5.5
The right back had a decent game for Sociedad but was often beaten by Lucas Vasquez for pace. He also had few good runs forward in the attack.
Aritz Elustondo 5.5
Elustondo was often caught on the wrong foot by Gareth Bale as he had a terrible game against the Welshman. He cleared few incoming threats and didn't allow James Rodriguez to settle in.
Mikel Gonzalez 5
The central defender was rock solid as he made sure that he didn’t allow the balls from Modric and James to reach the men forward.
Yuri Berchiche 4.5
Berchiche had a tough time dealing with Gareth Bale and Danilo as they were beating the left-back for pace. In the second half, he did well to stop Luka Modric’s cross from coming into the middle where Lucas was free.
Asier Illaramendi 5.5
The former Real Madrid man went into the book after a needless challenge on Luka Modric. After his heroics against Barcelona, Illara could have offered his team more than he did against Los Blancos.
Markel Bergara 4.5
He was booked for tripping Gareth Bale in the final third and stopped the Welshman from creating havocs. Apart from that. the midfielder didn’t offer anything in the 68 minutes he stayed on the pitch.
David Zurutuza 6
Zurutuza tried to break in through the Real Madrid defence but was denied by Ramos and Vamos. He almost equalised for Sociedad in the dying moments as Navas stopped his shot from going in.
Xabi Prieto 6.5
Xabi Prieto, in spite of getting booked, tested Real Madrid’s defence on several occasions but didn;t get the support from his teammates. It wasn’t his night as he could have easily scored or assisted once.
Bruma 6
The winger used his pace to penetrate through the Real Madrid’s defence from the flanks as Danilo had no answers to him. His crosses hardly bothered Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos as they cleared it with ease.
Mikel Oiarzabal 4
Mikel Oiarzabal was kept at bay by Sergio Ramos throughout the 90 mins as he couldn’t make much of an impact.
Substitutes:
Diego Reyes 4.5
Reyes replaced Bergara in the 68th minute and was kept quiet by Casemiro, who had a great game.
John Bautista N/A
After coming in for Bruma, the winger didn’t have much time to make an impact on the pitch.
Litri N/A
He just had five minutes to create an impact.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas 7
The Costa Rican international had a decent game as he made sure that he stopped a Sociedad counter by coming off his line. He ensured a 1-0 win for his team with an awkward save in the last minute.
Danilo 5.5
Danilo offered the team more in attack than the defence and on some other day that could have proved costly. His decision to take shots when he could have passed the ball in could be questionable.
Raphael Varane 6
The French defender had a good game overall apart from a horrible clearance at the start of the second half. He almost scored in the first half but his header went wide.
Sergio Ramos 7
Real Madrid skipper had an extraordinary game but will miss the Valencia game as he received his mandatory yellow card during the course of the match. He anticipated La Real counters well and denied them an early lead with two good clearances.
Nacho 7.5
Like Sergio Ramos, Nacho will miss the Valencia game due to suspension but he put on a great show against La Real. He was rock-solid in the defence and had a Marcelo-like run in the attack and almost scored in the first half.
Casemiro 7.5
Once again Casemoiro proved why he could be the defensive midfielder Real Madrid were looking for. The Brazilian was rock-solid as he won five tackles, four clearances, three aerial challenges and a crucial interception to stop La Real from scoring in the first half.
Luka Modric 7
Once again Modric proved his class by helping his team win back the possession and found his teammates with some glorious balls forward.
James Rodriguez 6
The Colombian got a rare start and had a very good first half but faded away in the second half before he was taken off for Isco.
Lucas Vasquez 7.5
Lucas Vasquez had a great game once again as he contributed for the team both in defence and attack from both the flanks. He also set up Bale's goal with a pinpoint cross from the right.
Gareth Bale 8.5
Once again the Welshman stepped up in Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence as he drove Real Madrid forward. Created a lot of chances for himself to score and eventually did it in the 80th minute.
Borja Mayoral 5.5
The youngster had a decent game and had a good link up with James.
Substitutes:
Jese 7
Jese’s arrival turned the tables for Real Madrid as he made sure that he drew the defenders towards him that let Bale free in the middle. With a performance like this, he could well start against Manchester City if Benzema is unfit.
Isco 5.5
In the limited time, he got he made sure that he linked up with Lucas well and unlocked La Real’s defence. But often his passes were cut down by the defenders.
Mateo Kovacic N/A
He had little time to create an impact
