Real Madrid took a significant step towards their 36th La Liga title with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena. This win, coupled with an 11-point advantage over Barcelona entering the match, puts them in a commanding position.
Carlo Ancelotti opted to rotate his squad, resting key players like Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham. Arda Guler finally got his first start in the league for the Spanish giants and did not waste his opportunity.
READ: Who is Arda Guler? The 18-year-old ‘Turkish Messi’ Wanted by Europe’s Biggest Clubs
Real Sociedad started brightly, with former Real Madrid youth player Takefusa Kubo nearly opening the scoring. Kepa had to be sharp to deny the Japanese winger, and minutes later, Mikel Oyarzabal saw penalty appeals waved away after a slight challenge from Fran Garcia.
Despite the early pressure, Real Madrid struck first just before the half-hour mark. A diagonal pass from Aurelien Tchouameni found Dani Carvajal, whose low cross caused confusion in the Sociedad defense.
Youngster Arda Guler capitalized on the mishap, slotting home his second goal for the club.
Guler scored his second league goal in the process in what was his first start and it could prove to be an important strike as Real push closer to securing the league title.
The Turkish international will be hoping his performance is enough to convince Ancelotti of giving him more playing time.
He now has two goals in six appearances for Real in the league scoring twice but has played just 99 minutes of football.
Sociedad thought they had an immediate equalizer through Kubo, but a foul on Tchouameni in the build-up saw the goal disallowed by VAR.
Real Madrid were far from their best, they secured a crucial win and a clean sheet. With five games remaining, the La Liga title appears firmly in their grasp.
