LALIGA: Takefusa Kubo haunts former club as Real Sociedad beat Real Madrid

Real Madrid suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad in the LaLiga title race. Madrid was without Vinicius Junior due to a suspension and Karim Benzema, who was rested for the game.

Takefusa Kubo, who moved from Los Blancos to La Real last year, scored the opener just after half-time. The hosts continued to dominate the game, but Madrid’s defense held them off until Dani Carvajal was sent off for two cautions.

Ander Barrenetxea took advantage of the extra space to smash a low finish into the bottom-left corner, sealing the game in the 85th minute. The loss means Madrid trails league leaders Barcelona by 14 points with just five games left to play.

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Madrid started strong with a sixth-minute header from Eder Militao that was denied by an expert save from Alex Remiro. However, it was La Real who grew in confidence and created more chances. Martin Zubimendi’s effort hit the crossbar, while Thibaut Courtois denied a clear chance from David Silva with his feet.

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Despite La Real’s dominance, Madrid’s defense held firm until Kubo capitalized on a stray pass from Militao and poked the ball into an empty net just after half-time.

Matters worsened for Madrid when Carvajal was sent off for a second cautionable foul on Aihen Munoz. The visitors struggled to create any clear chances, and the hosts made their numerical advantage count when Barrenetxea sealed the deal with a low finish in the 85th minute.

The defeat puts a significant dent in Madrid’s title challenge, and with five games left to play, they are unlikely to catch up to Barcelona. Madrid’s focus will now shift to their Champions League semi-final clash with Manchester City next week.