Real Madrid have been the form team in La Liga in 2026, and they are already on their way to another victory after taking the lead against Real Sociedad in their clash at the Bernabeu.
The big team news for the match has been Kylian Mbappe’s omission from the starting line-up, with Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Junior starting in attack instead. The former has justified his inclusion already as he has netted the opening goal inside five minutes, as he touched home an excellent cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
🚨🚨| GOAL: GONZALO GARCIA GIVES REAL MADRID THE LEAD!!!
Real Madrid 1-0 Real Sociedadpic.twitter.com/FD7yubm8AT
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) February 14, 2026
Trent Alexander-Arnold with a beautiful ball to Gonzalo García to put Madrid ahead 🤩 pic.twitter.com/7bxPMe4nPB
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 14, 2026
Trent has been a big miss for Real Madrid over the last 6-8 weeks, which he missed after a second hamstring injury of the season. Alvaro Arbeloa opted to start him over Dani Carvajal, whose future at the Bernabeu is uncertain, and already, that decision has been fully merited.
As things stand, Real Madrid will go top of La Liga, with Barcelona not in action until Monday night. However, there is still a long way to go, and La Real will not make it easy.