For the first time in 10 years, Real Madrid lose to Real Sociedad, dropping a two goal lead achieved through Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale, conceding four goals in the span of 40 minutes to lose 4-2, as they lose three precious points in the always difficult La Liga title race.
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t playing, but the defending Champions League title holders looked bad from the moment they started conceding late in the second half.
Sergio Ramos gave them the lead, reaching a Toni Kroos corner and heading it into the net. Six minutes later (11th), Gareth Bale got a nice feed from Luka Modric to make it seem like Real Madrid were going to win this match quite comfortably.
Only the tide turned, and without making the most of their many opportunities early on, their poor defense which still has players like Marcelo and Pepe in it to defend the goal, started leaking, not handling the pressure, and not getting help from a midfield that’s still not quite sure what it’s supposed to do and how it’s supposed to be standing.
A corner kick in the 35th minute showed how bad Real Madrid are at defending set pieces, as Iñigo Martínez scored after some poor clearance attempts from that defense. Six minutes later, just before half time, David Zurutuza scored after being left wide open to handle an easy cross.
The second half gave us a stunned Real Madrid, with a lineup and formation that is unbalanced and looked uncomfortable. Poor defending and another Xabi Prieto assist which earned him a standing ovation when he walked off the pitch led to David Zurutuza scoring his second goal of the match, beginning with a brilliant pass from Sergio Canales. The fourth came from another corner, as Carlos Vela, maybe using his hand, controlled the cross first to seal the deal and leave Real Madrid players helpless and quite stunned.