What a chance for Benzema to score! Bale skips into the left-hand side of the Sociedad penalty area and quickly squares a pass over to Benzema. The Frenchman only has Rulli to beat, but he somehow ends up firing his first-time strike over the top of the crossbar from eight yards out. Oh dear!
90' +1
M. Kovačić gets yellow.
Kovacic catches Guridi in the middle of the pitch, and the Croatian becomes the latest player to be shown a yellow card.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
89'
Free header for Ronaldo! Madrid push forward once again and win themselves a free-kick in a great position. Kroos' cross into the middle of the penalty area is brilliant and perfectly picks out Ronaldo, who latches onto the ball but sends his downward header just inches wide of the far post.
87'
Bale twists and turns over on the left-hand side of the visitors' box before trying to pick out Benzema. His low cross is a decent one, but Rulli is there to dive on the ball ahead of the striker to deny Madrid a sixth goal of the evening.
85'
Chance for Bale! Ronaldo and the Welshman link up really well on the edge of the Sociedad penalty area before the latter shoots, but his low effort ends up trickling just wide of the far post after beating Rulli.
84'
Sociedad have made their third and final substitution, with Guridi coming on to replace Juanmi.
83'
Jon Guridi enters the game and replaces Juanmi.
Illarramendi has scored a goal for Real Sociedad! Assist by Juanmi.
It was Juanmi who nodded the ball down to Illarremendi after latching onto a looping cross. Madrid fell asleep and left the midfielder in far too much space in front of goal, making life easy for him.
GOAL! It's another for Sociedad! A short corner routine easily results in a chance on goal for the visitors, as Illarramendi is able to latch onto a bouncing ball in the middle of the box before firing it straight past Navas. Madrid didn't cover themselves in glory there!
82'
With little under 10 minutes left to play, Madrid seem content to sit back and defend once again as they try to hold on to their lead. They should be wary of sitting too deep, however, as they invited far too much pressure the last time they did so.
80'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid!
GOAL! It's a hat-trick for Ronaldo! Bale gets himself into a pocket of space 20 yards away from goal and shoots, and somehow his rather tame effort is spilled by Rulli. Ronaldo is there to easily poke the ball into the back of the net from close range to wrap his hat-trick - and, most probably, the win.
Minute
Description
78'
Sociedad are also guilty of losing the ball cheaply, and this time Madrid do counter-attack successfully. Marcelo makes his way into the box and crosses, but Illarramendi is there to poke the ball away at the near post before it can find a white shirt.
76'
Madrid have a good chance to counter-attack after bringing an end to another attempted Sociedad attacking move. They're unable to make it count, however, as a poor first touch from Marcelo knocks the ball back to the visitors.
74'
Jon Bautista has scored a goal for Real Sociedad! Assist by Mikel Oyarzabal.
Oyarzabal's pass into the box was a good one, but Madrid really should have done better there. They've defended well for most of the evening but were made to pay for a sloppy piece of play when it mattered.
GOAL! Sociedad have pulled one back! Bautista takes advantage of poor defending from the home side as he skips into the penalty area and shoots, and he's easily able to pass the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give the Sociedad fans something to smile about.
73'
G. Bale enters the game and replaces Marco Asensio.
Substitution Marco Asensio Willemsen Gareth Frank Bale
72'
Madrid are continuing to sit deep and comfortably hold on to their lead against a Sociedad side that are trying to find a way back into the game but can't quite get the better of the hosts' back line. Madrid aren't seeing much of the ball but won't mind too much.
70'
Bautista breaks down the left wing and takes on Carvajal, who is forced into poking the ball behind for a corner. The set-piece fails to result in a chance on goal for the visitors, allowing Madrid to counter-attack over on the far wing. The attacking move doesn't last for long, however, as Elustondo is there to bring it to a swift conclusion.
68'
Illarramendi goes close! It's the former Madrid midfielder who steps up and shoots, but his curling strike ends up clearing the top of the crossbar by a yard or so.
67'
Odriozola darts down the right flank on a great run and easily manages to skip past Marcelo. He then cuts a deflected pass back to Juanmi, who latches onto the ball and is immediately clattered into by Kovacic, resulting in a free-kick for the visitors in a very promising position.
65'
Kovacic is quickly involved in the thick of the action as he tries to tee up Carvajal on the right-hand side of the Sociedad penalty area. His pass forward is slightly mishit, however, and it rolls out for a goal-kick before finding the full-back.
63'
Isco enters the game and replaces Lucas Vázquez.
M. Kovačić enters the game and replaces L. Modrić.
And the second is Vazquez, with Isco coming on in his place.
And now Madrid have made a double switch. The first player to make way is Modric, who is replaced by Kovacic.
62'
A lofted pass is fired up towards the Madrid penalty area, but it fails to find a Sociedad player and the home side are easily able to hold on. Vazquez then tries to break away over on the right wing, but he's cynically dragged back by Juanmi, who somehow escapes receiving a yellow card.
60'
Jon Bautista enters the game and replaces Sergio Canales.
Zubeldia enters the game and replaces Zurutuza.
With half an hour left to play, Sociedad have made a double substitution. The first player to come on is Bautista, with Canales making way.
And the second is Zubeldia, who takes the place of Zurutuza.
59'
Understandably, Madrid have taken their foot off the pedal slightly as they comfortably hold on to their emphatic lead. Sociedad are seeing much more of the ball now but, bar a few impressive moments, are largely struggling to do much with it against their well-organised opponents.
57'
Zurutuza and De La Bella link up well over on the left wing before the latter pokes a pass infield to Canales. The attacking midfielder manages to meet it but is immediately closed down by a group of white shirts, denying him a way through on goal.
55'
More decent play by Sociedad, who have looked better since the break, results in a chance on goal for Juanmi, who once again manages to get his head on the ball but this time can't quite hit the target with his looping effort.
53'
Vazquez picks up the ball in a promising position over on the right wing and quickly knocks the ball over to Kroos. The German quickly shoots from just inside the box, and his thumping effort forces Rulli into making a smart save in the centre of the goal.
51'
Sociedad go close to scoring! The visitors keep pushing forward as they string together a decent series of passes, and they do well to win themselves a corner. It's swung into the middle of the box and picks out Juami, who rises high and hits the post with his downward header.
49'
Dani Carvajal gets yellow.
The referee's yellow card is out once again, and this time it's Carvajal who finds himself on the receiving end after catching Canales with a slightly late challenge as they battled for the ball.
47'
De la Bella gets yellow.
De La Bella charges into Vazquez from behind and catches the winger with a nasty sliding challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to show the Sociedad man a yellow card.
46'
We're underway once again!
45'
Modric makes a clever run into the Sociedad box as the home side push forward on one final attacking move before the break, but Marcelo's ball into the penalty area is slightly overhit and easily dealt with by Rulli.
43'
Carvajal darts down the right flank once again as Madrid continue putting pressure on the Sociedad back line, but his run into space is slightly mistimed and he's flagged offside as soon as he latches onto a cross-field pass from Ramos.
41'
Carvajal picks up the ball over on the right wing and looks set to pick out Ronaldo with a clever pass towards the edge of the visitors' box. The Portuguese darts towards the ball, but he's beaten to it by Rulli after a smart piece of goalkeeping.
39'
Asensio almost makes it 5-0! Great play by Marcelo sees the Brazilian sprint into the Sociedad penalty area before cutting the ball back to Asensio. The attacking midfielder looks set to knock the ball into the back of an empty net, but De La Bella is just about able to get a foot on the ball at the vital moment.
37'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by L. Modrić.
Modric's cross into the heart of the box was certainly a well-executed one, but once again Sociedad defended dreadfully. This could go to double figures if they're not careful...
GOAL! It's another for Ronaldo! The Portuguese rises high and easily latches onto a curling cross, which he then sends flying into the back of the net with his head. Madrid are on fire!
36'
There's around 10 minutes of the first half remaining yet Sociedad already look dead and buried. They're really struggling to deal with a determined Madrid side, who are continuing to run the show with real ease.
34'
T. Kroos has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Lucas Vázquez.
GOAL! Kroos makes it 3-0! Once again, Sociedad defend poorly and leave Kroos completely alone on the edge of the visitors' box. The German is easily able to curl a strike straight past Rulli and into the top right-hand corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance whatsoever.
It was far too easy for Vazquez, who was comfortably able to cut inside from the right wing before cutting the ball back to Kroos. Sociedad have suffered a miserable first half so far and desperately need to improve if they're to stop this from turning into an absolute thumping.
33'
Ronaldo hits the post! The resulting set-piece initially fails to result in a chance on goal, but Madrid quickly push forward once again. Ramos is left all alone and nods the ball over to Ronaldo, who in acres of space and beats Rulli with his first-time volley only to smash the woodwork.
32'
Great chance for Benzema to make it 3-0! A wonderful pass splits the Sociedad back line in two and perfectly finds Ronaldo. The Portuguese storms into the penalty area and rounds Rulli before cutting the ball back to Benzema, who shoots but has his close-range strike deflected behind for a corner.
31'
Elustondo pushes towards the halfway line and then fires a lofted pass up towards Oyarzabal on the edge of the Madrid box. He's able to find it, but his first touch is poor and chests the ball straight to Navas.
29'
Madrid push forward once again, but this time they're unable to carve out a chance on goal and Sociedad hold on. Prieto then tries to counter-attack down the right flank, but he's clattered into from behind by Marcelo and is sent crashing to the ground by the full-back.
27'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Marcelo.
GOAL! It's 2-0 to Madrid! Marcelo charges down the left-hand side of the Sociedad box before poking a pass back to Ronaldo, who is in an acre of space in the heart of the penalty area and easily beats Rulli with a first-time, side-footed strike.
Nobody tracked Marcelo back, allowing the Brazilian to easily find Ronaldo in front of goal. Sociedad have really struggled defensively tonight, and they're lucky the scoreline is only 2-0 at the moment.
25'
Ronaldo drifts out to the right flank and picks up the ball in a promising position, setting him up to skip into the penalty area and take on De La Bella. The Portuguese goes down under a tackle from the full-back, but his appeals are immediately waved away by the referee.
23'
Two good chances for Madrid! Asensio charges down the left wing and heads towards the edge of the penalty area, where he sends a low cross into the feet of Ronaldo. The Portuguese spins and shoots, but his strike is well blocked and fails to test Rulli. The ball is picked up by Vazquez and chipped back towards Asensio, however, and the the latter forces the Sociedad goalkeeper into making a save with a downward header.
21'
A lofted pass is fired deep down the right flank and manages to pick out Zurutuza. He quickly flicks the ball over towards Juami, but Carvajal is easily able to deal with the danger and knock the ball back to Navas.
19'
The pace of the game has slowed down somewhat over the last few minutes, with Madrid largely controlling the game but seemingly content to hold onto possession. Sociedad are struggling to carve out chances on goal, with Juami looking incredibly isolated up front.
17'
Madrid patiently knock the ball around on the halfway line before Marcelo tries to pick out Benzema with a first-time pass. It flies down the pitch and towards the penalty area, but it's easily dealt with by Navas before it can pick out the French striker.
15'
Good play by Canales and Odriozola over on the right flank results in the full-back breaking into the box and crossing, but he's quickly closed down by Marcelo and the ball ends up ricocheting behind for a goal-kick.
13'
Kroos picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch and quickly tries to set up Ronaldo. It looks as if the Portuguese is going to meet the pass on the edge of the penalty area, but Elustondo does really well to cut out the danger with his outstretched leg.
11'
A cross-field pass is fired over to the left wing and finds De La Bella in a pocket of space. The full-back quickly launches the ball into the middle of the penalty area, where Juanmi latches onto the ball but is let down by a poor first touch.
9'
Vazquez dance his way into the right-hand side of the Sociedad box and heads towards the byline. He then cuts a clever pass back to Benzema, but, off balance, the striker can't quite control the ball and fails to get a shot away.
7'
Benzema hits the post! Marcelo easily wins the ball for the home side and quickly breaks forward. He heads towards the edge of the box and sets up Benzema, who beats Rulli with a deft poke but can only strike the woodwork.
5'
Benzema makes a clever run into the Sociedad penalty area and tries to latch onto a lofted pass forward from Carvajal, but the full-back's ball is slightly overhit and can only find the hands of Rulli.
3'
Space opens up out wide and allows Odriozola to dart down the right flank. He then fires a cross into the middle of the box, but Madrid just about do enough to deal with the danger.
1'
Lucas Vázquez has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sociedad were appealing for an offside call against Ronaldo, but the Portuguese looked as if he timed his run to perfection. The visitors didn't do enough to deal with the danger, as they stepped off the home side far too much.
We're off!
GOAL! What a start by Madrid! Ronaldo breaks down the left wing and heads towards the edge of the box, where he's able to chip a cross over to the far post. It's well placed and perfectly picks out Vazquez, who arches his back and sends a brilliant header past Rulli and into the back of the net. That's just what they needed!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s LaLiga game between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Every time it looks as if Madrid have turned a corner, they’re sent crashing back to down earth by another disappointing result. A 7-1 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna was followed by a miserable Copa del Rey defeat at home to Leganes, while the impressive 4-1 win against Valencia came just a week before they were held by Levante to deny them three consecutive victories in LaLiga for the first time since October.
With their chances of enjoying success in both the league and Copa del Rey firmly over, Madrid’s campaign now hinges on their Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as their fight to qualify for next season’s instalment. Los Blancos currently lead fifth-place Villarreal by just two points, and another slip up here today would leave them biting their nails once again before the visit of the Parisiens.
In a normal season, Zinedine Zidane would no doubt be prepared for his players to take their feet off the pedal slightly before such a big European clash, but they can’t afford to do so today. Sociedad have struggled at the back this season but boast the fourth-best attack in the division, and they could cause some real problems for their opponents if Madrid once again aren’t at their best.
Los Blancos have managed to keep just one clean sheet in their last eight games, and on the road they’ve won just one in six in the league. Sociedad are struggling themselves and have lost four of their previous five LaLiga outings, but they returned to winning ways with a 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo last weekend to give themselves some much-needed confidence heading into tonight’s big clash.
There’s just under 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening...
Real Sociedad XI (4-3-3): Geronimo Rulli; Alvaro Odriozola, Aritz Elustondo, Raul Navas, Alberto De La Bella; Xabi Prieto, Asier Illarramendi, David Zurutuza; Mikel Oyarzabal, Juanmi, Sergio Canales.
Real Madrid substitutes: Kiko Casilla, Achraf Hakimi, Nacho, Mateo Kovacic, Isco, Gareth Bale.
Real Madrid XI (4-4-2): Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo; Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio; Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Sociedad substitutes: Tono, Kevin Rodrigues, Diego Llorente, Igor Zubeldia, Jon Bautista, Jon Guridi, Imanol Agirretxe.
Zinedine Zidane has decided to make two changes to the Madrid side that drew against Levante last weekend, with Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio coming into the starting line-up to replace Casemiro and Gareth Bale, respectively.
Meanwhile, Sociedad boss Eusebio Sacristan has also made two alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Igor Zubeldia and Willian Jose making way for David Zurutuza and Sergio Canales.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: REAL MADRID 4-0 REAL SOCIEDAD
Madrid were poor in last weekend's draw with Levante, but they haven't had any problems today. Dreadful defending from Sociedad has made this an incredibly easy evening for Los Blancos, who already have the victory as good as wrapped up thanks to a brilliant first-half performance. With PSG coming up in a few days' time, this is exactly what Zidane's men needed.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: REAL MADRID 5-2 REAL SOCIEDAD
It's all over at the Bernabeu, where Madrid are deservedly able to leave with a comfortable victory under their belts. It's exactly what they needed after being frustrated by Levante last time out, and they were certainly helped by a dismal performance from a very out-of-sorts Sociedad side. The win has sent Los Blancos up to third place, and they now hold a two-point lead over Valencia, who host Levante on Sunday. As for Sociedad, they remain in a very precarious position in the bottom half of the table and are in desperate need of wins, starting against Levante next weekend.
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