La Liga: Real Madrid hit Sevilla for four as Sociedad run riot

Celta Vigo beat Deportivo Alaves 2-1 to extend their unbeaten run, and Osasuna returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Racing Santander.

Real Madrid cruise past Sevilla to keep Barcelona in sight

Real Madrid maintained their impressive home form with a 4-1 victory over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu, recording an eighth successive La Liga home win and moving back to within six points of leaders Barcelona.

Arda Guler opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a superb looping finish after Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande combined to create the opportunity. Seven minutes later, Bellingham’s brilliant backheel released Kylian Mbappe, who showed excellent footwork before finishing from close range.

Mbappe extended Madrid’s lead after the break, converting a Panenka penalty after being fouled by Castrin inside the box. Sevilla briefly threatened a comeback when Manuel Bueno capitalised on hesitant defending to score with a precise left-footed strike.

However, Diomande restored Madrid’s three-goal advantage just two minutes later with a powerful finish. The victory gave Jose Mourinho’s side their sixth win in seven matches across all competitions and lifted them above Real Betis into third place ahead of next week’s El Clasico against Barcelona.

Real Sociedad strike five to deepen Malaga’s struggles

Real Sociedad continued their impressive La Liga form with a 5-2 away win over Malaga, recording a fourth victory in five league matches and extending the hosts’ miserable start to the season.

Takefusa Kubo opened the scoring in the third minute when his 20-yard effort took a deflection and looped into the top corner. Orri Oskarsson doubled the advantage after taking advantage of a fortunate ricochet, turning his marker before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Malaga reduced the deficit less than 10 minutes after half-time when Adrian Nino finished from close range following Pablo Martinez’s pull-back. However, Kubo then set up Mikel Oyarzabal, who drilled a shot past goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero to restore Sociedad’s two-goal cushion.

Martinez reignited Malaga’s hopes with a spectacular half-volley into the top corner, but Oyarzabal struck again from 20 yards to complete his brace. Substitute Goncalo Guedes added Sociedad’s fifth after Oskarsson’s effort came back off the crossbar, ending the visitors’ four-match losing run in Andalusia.

Rodriguez inspires Celta Vigo to victory over Alaves

Celta Vigo moved above Deportivo Alaves into seventh place after winning 2-1 at the Estadio de Balaidos, extending their unbeaten La Liga run to six matches.

Chances were limited in the first half, with Celta struggling to turn possession into clear opportunities. Ferran Jutgla fired wide from a free kick, while Alaves goalkeeper Ionut Radu denied Toni Martinez with a header at the other end.

Celta broke the deadlock eight minutes after the restart when Javier Rodriguez played an incisive pass through the defence, allowing Jutgla to race through and finish low into the bottom-right corner.

Rodriguez doubled the advantage in the 71st minute, beating three opponents with clever footwork before scoring from a difficult angle. Alaves responded through Hugo Novoa Ramos, whose spectacular long-range effort struck the bar and post before crossing the line.

Celta were forced to withstand late pressure, but Radu produced two important stoppage-time saves to secure the victory and prevent a repeat of their previous collapse against Alaves.

Budimir penalty helps Osasuna end winless run

Osasuna ended a six-match winless run in La Liga with a 2-0 home victory over Racing Santander, marking Jagoba Arrasate’s return to El Sadar with three valuable points.

The hosts made a strong start and thought they had taken an early lead through Jonathan Dubasin, but VAR ruled out his close-range effort for offside. Osasuna broke through in the ninth minute when Jeanuel Belocian fouled Ante Budimir in the penalty area, allowing the Croatian striker to convert from the spot.

Racing gradually settled into the contest but struggled to create clear chances. Osasuna remained in control after the break, although Budimir missed an opportunity to extend their lead from a tight angle.

Racing offered little attacking threat, with Sergio Canales forcing only a routine save from Aitor Fernandez with a long-range effort. Osasuna finally secured the result in the 88th minute when Asier Osambela fired home after goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala had blocked Inigo Arguibide’s attempt.

The victory lifted Osasuna into ninth place, while Racing remained 16th after extending their winless run to four matches.