This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On June 21, 2020, Real Madrid took control of the Spanish title race by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 away, moving top of La Liga above Barcelona after a second-half high on controversy.
Madrid captain Sergio Ramos broke the deadlock in the 50th minute by converting a penalty after Vinicius Jr went to ground in the area following contact from Sociedad's Diego Llorente.
However, Sociedad thought they had levelled with a strike from Adnan Januzaj from outside the box, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review showed Mikel Merino obstructing the view of Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois without touching the ball.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema doubled Madrid's lead in the 71st minute after controlling the ball with the top of his arm, although Merino ensured an exciting finish by lashing in off the crossbar in the 83rd minute.
Madrid's win moved them level with Barca on 65 points after 30 games but climbed above the Catalans due to a superior head-to-head record. Sociedad are sixth on 47.
Madrid's trip to San Sebastian was full of intrigue after Barca failed to beat Sevilla, with Gerard Pique saying the title was now Madrid's for the taking.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde felt the three points were deserved, saying, 'In my opinion we were the superior team against a very tough opponent, we knew how to cope with them and how to hold on to our lead.'
