Dean Huijsen Sees Red: Takeaways From Real Madrid’s 2

Real Madrid overcame a controversial red card shown to Dean Huijsen to secure a 2–1 victory over Real Sociedad.

With their Champions League opener just three days away, Los Blancos were hoping to comfortably collect three points against a winless Real Sociedad side. The match started off brilliantly for Real Madrid, with Kylian Mbappé finding the back of the net in the 12th minute.

Huijsen then received the first red card of his La Liga career just 20 minutes later for what referee Jesús Gil Manzano seemingly deemed the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Xabi Alonso’s men responded with their second goal of the afternoon on the brink of halftime, buried by Arda Güler.

Real Sociedad got within one in the second half thanks to a successful penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal, but it was not enough to mount a comeback.

Here’s three takeaways from Real Madrid’s fourth La Liga victory of the season.

Kylian Mbappe Is Eyeing Another Pichichi Trophy

Kylian Mbappé was involved in both of Real Madrid’s goals at Reale Arena. | Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Is there another star in La Liga playing as well as Mbappé right now? The France international is putting on a show every time he laces up his boots under Alonso, with Real Sociedad the latest victims of his seemingly unstoppable form.

Mbappé scored Real Madrid’s first goal of the clash and then assisted Güler’s game-winner, leaving Real Sociedad’s defense scrambling on both occasions. The 26-year-old could have ended the game with an additional goal and an assist, but the woodwork denied his brace and the offside flag denied another assist.

With four goals in as many matches this season, Mbappé leads the early Pichichi Trophy race. Anything can happen as the season progresses, but the Frenchman’s current form is a class above the rest in La Liga.

Defensive Depth Is Once Again a Problem for Real Madrid

Dean Huijsen (right) received the first red card of his La Liga career on Saturday. | Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Los Blancos spent nearly all of last season hindered by defensive injuries. Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy all missed extended time, forcing Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni to feature at right back and center back respectively.

The club went out and signed Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer to avoid another repeat of the 2024–25 season, but it once again finds itself in a similar predicament just four games into the current campaign.

Antonio Rüdiger is sidelined with a thigh injury for three months and Huijsen now looks to be suspended for the next two La Liga matches, ruling him out against Espanyol and Levante. Suddenly, Alonso now could be forced to deploy Tchouaméni or even Carvajal at center back moving forward.

Alaba and Raúl Asencio are also options, but both players struggled to deliver when called upon in their recent appearances; Alonso has yet to start either defender in 2025–26.

Dani Carvajal Is Not Going Away Quietly

Alonso continued to rotate Alexander-Arnold and Carvajal, with the latter getting the nod at Reale Arena. The decision did not come as a major surprise given Los Blancos’ Champions League opener in just three days, but it once again enforced the ongoing battle between the two fullbacks.

So much has been made about Carvajal’s attacking abilities compared to Alexander-Arnold’s, yet the Spaniard put on a show early at Reale Arena. The 33-year-old delivered brilliant service to Mbappé on multiple occasions, with his trivela pass in the ninth minute impressing even the Real Sociedad fans.

Carvajal might not have the passing or set-piece delivery of Alexander-Arnold, but he is more than capable of linking up with Real Madrid’s star-studded frontline, a fact he has proved during his exceptional career in a white shirt. Plus, his defending is levels above Real Madrid’s new signing, though he will be disappointed to give up a penalty in the second half.

Alexander-Arnold might be the future of Real Madrid, but Carvajal is not giving up his spot on the right flank easily. Although it’s not an ideal scenario for either player, it is a great problem to have for Alonso.