MADRID: Real Madrid put their title defence back on track with a comfortable 3-1 win over Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Sunday, despite missing several key players.

Sociedad defender Kevin Rodrigues scored at both ends and Borja Mayoral and Gareth Bale netted Real’s other goals to help them equal the consecutive scoring record of 73 games set by Pele’s Santos between 1961 and 1963.

Real had Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo suspended and Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos injured but after disappointing consecutive league draws they ended Sociedad’s unbeaten start to the season and moved up to fourth place, cutting table-topping Barcelona’s lead on them to four points.

Sociedad are third, on nine points, one ahead of Madrid and one behind Sevilla, who beat Girona 1-0 away thanks to Luis Muriel’s first goal for the club since completing a 20 million euro ($24 million) move from Sampdoria.

With Real weakened, the 20-year-old Mayoral rewarded Zinedine Zidane’s faith in him by breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute.

The striker netted his first goal for the club with a poacher’s finish after Sergio Ramos tried and failed to tee himself up for an overhead kick, having scored a similar goal against APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday.

Sociedad’s Rodrigues scored at both ends to give Real a 2-1 half-time lead and Bale secured the three points as he sped past Rodrigues and dinked the ball over Geronimo Rulli for just his second goal of the season on the hour mark.

Bale’s fine solo goal gave the Welshman a much-needed boost after he was criticised for not scoring in Real’s previous back-to-back draws in the league.

“It was a great goal, but the most important thing is to get the team back on track,” Bale said.

As for the jeers he has heard recently back at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bale admitted he was not at his best.

“It’s normal, it happens in football. I just have to keep my head down and keep working,” Bale said. “You go through ups and downs in your career and you have to bounce back.”

Earlier, Alaves sacked Argentine coach Luis Zubeldia after just four games in charge as they slipped to the bottom of La Liga with a 3-0 defeat at home to Villarreal.

Zubeldia failed to muster a point or even a solitary goal in his brief stint in charge with defeats to Leganes, Barcelona and Celta Vigo also sealing his fate.

Las Palmas beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 with former Chelsea striker Loic Remy scoring his first goal for the club.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2017