It was great while it lasted for David Moyes at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon, unfortunately it only lasted for two minutes. The Real Sociedad manager saw his team take the lead after just 40 seconds only for Real Madrid to equalise with their next attack and run out 4-1 winners.
‘We gave ourselves a platform but there was no time to build it on. I don’t think we touched the ball between scoring and their equaliser,’ said Moyes, who added: ‘At times we couldn’t lay a glove on them. I’ve seen the best team in the world today. They are world [club] champions and they played that way today especially in the first half.’
It was Moyes’ first ever match in the famous stadium. He spoke pre-match about having dreamed of coming here with Everton or Manchester United. The start was the stuff of dreams as his team scored with their first attack.
Yuri took a corner from the Real Sociedad left and 21-year-old right back Aritz Elustondo headed it past Iker Casillas.
This was Barcelona all over again for Moyes. His team scored against the Catalans with their first attack when they played them at the start of the year. They held on for all three points on a famous night at Anoeta – here the glory didn’t last as long.
Marcelo was played in down the left and when he crossed, the unmarked James Rodriguez was left clear to head in the equalizer.
Real Sociedad were not completely knocked out of their stride however and two former Real Madrid players linked up to so nearly give them their second goal.
It was Esteban Granero who shot from the edge of the area and Sergio Canales stretched to turn it in but couldn’t quite send it past Casillas. The Spain keeper saved a shot from Ruben Pardo and Moyes still had some reasons to remain optimistic but things took a turn for the worse when Carlos Vela went down holding his knee. He hobbled off, then hobbled back on, and was finally taken off and replaced by Imanol Agirretxe. Real Sociedad were severely weakened and Real Madrid began to find their passes going forward as Geronimo Rulli kept his team in the game.
He saved brilliantly from Benzema and then from Rodriguez as Real Madrid stepped up the pressure. Gareth Bale, who was once again booed by sections of the Bernabeu crowd, should have put Real Madrid ahead but dragged his shot wide and the Welshman then headed a Kroos corner just beyond Rulli’s far post.
Madrid were getting closer to scoring a second despite Rulli’s best efforts and when the young Argentine keeper blocked Benzema's shot it dropped to Ramos who scored.
With the sleet falling, Moyes now cut a slightly more forlorn figure in the technical area and he was also starting to despair at his team’s defending with Bale again guilty of poor finishing after Benzema had been allowed to break down the left. As the sleet turned to snow the only consolation was that the visitors had made it to half time with only a goal between the two sides.
and Isco combined brilliantly only for the latter to blaze over.
The next chance fell to Benzema and was greedily accepted. He played a one-two with Bale down the left and the man who some supporters have described as selfish in recent weeks played a selfless and perfectly measured pass to the feet of the Frenchman who converted the chance before embracing the assist provider.
With Cristiano Ronaldo watching from his private box with son Ronaldo junior Bale went into generosity overdrive gifting Benzema with another chance with a clever flick. Had the Frenchman not been obstructed in the area he would surely have doubled his tally. Benzema was then inches from an Isco cross – it could have been a hat-trick inside barely a minute.
The Frenchman has, like Bale suffered at the hands of the Bernabeu, but they were on their feet singing his name 15 minutes from time with the goal of the game curling a shot past Rulli from just inside the area.
All that was missing for the home side was one of Bale’s customary goals in the absence of Ronaldo. Real Madrid’s top scorer has missed 11 games since Bale has been at the club and Bale has scored 11 goals in those matches.
When he raced clear with 10 minutes left after another defensive lapse from Real Sociedad it looked as if he would score goal number five for Real Madrid but Rulli came out to block his shot. The visiting keeper had actually put a favourable gloss on the result for Moyes. How different things had looked after just 40 seconds.
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