Real Madrid heads to PSG beating Real Sociedad | football news

MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid enjoyed perfect preparation for Paris Saint-Germain, beating Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday to move eight points up atop La Liga.
Madrid had to come from behind at the Santiago Bernabéu when two brilliant long-range shots from Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric turned the game around, before a Karim Benzema penalty and a Marco Asensio touch completed a resounding victory.
Camavinga’s goal, his second goal for Madrid, was timely given the 19-year-old could have to start against PSG on Wednesday, with Toni Kroos, absent here, struggling with a hamstring strain.
Madrid have the task of overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the first leg in Paris if they want to reach the quarter-finals.
However, everything seems easier under the 36-year-old Modric, whose marvelous own goal was the highlight of another fascinating display, for which he earned a standing ovation from the home crowd in the second half.
Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar will be a tougher test for Madrid’s four defenders in midweek, but this was a particularly encouraging performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s attack, which was much more dynamic after struggling to score goals in the last few weeks. weeks.
A fit and fit Benzema will help and the 34-year-old now looks fit again after recovering from his own hamstring injury last month. Benzema has scored three goals in his last three games, and had two disallowed against Real before finally scoring from the penalty spot.
Real Madrid started badly and had to come back after a touch from David Silva and the substitution was too quick for Dani Carvajal, who caught the midfielder’s right foot.
Thibaut Courtois dived well but Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty had too much power and whiplash, the ball lodged in the lower right corner.
Madrid took until the 29th minute to register a shot on goal and the public was stirring when Camavinga’s rocket unleashed the tension. Modric lobbed the ball into the field to the midfielder, who controlled and fired a shot from 30 meters that sizzled straight, hard and into the net.
The floodgates opened, with Madrid finding the net twice more before halftime. The first was ruled out for offside, Benzema too quick to catch a pass from Modric after Camavinga had stolen Asier Illarramendi.
But nothing stopped the second, a quick corner that allowed Modric to charge on the edge of the area, with Silva shuffling out to meet him. Modric took Silva left, right and then left again, working up enough space to unleash with his left foot, the ball soaring high into the net.
The Madrid storm subsided a bit in the second half but not much. Benzema and Rodrygo were close as Real Sociedad struggled to escape their own half for the first 20 minutes.
Benzema scored a third but Rodrygo’s right foot was offside in the build-up and then, with 16 minutes remaining, Vinicius Junior won a penalty after a meandering run down the left.
Vinicius got past Igor Zubeldia, stayed on his feet and then beat Aritz Elustondo, knocking down the defender’s planted left leg and relying on VAR to detect that he was inside the box. Benzema missed the penalty and guided it inside.
Three minutes later, Asensio scored the fourth, finishing off a cut by Carvajal to round off a resounding victory.