Brahim Díaz made a cameo appearance in Real Madrid’s 4-1 rout of Real Sociedad on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu, a rescheduled fixture from La Liga’s opening round. The Moroccan winger entered play in the 78th minute as a substitute for Arda Güler, and despite minimal time on the pitch, he nearly influenced the scoreline twice before the final whistle.
Díaz nearly adds to Madrid’s tally in final stages
Five minutes into his spell, Díaz delivered a cutback for Federico Valverde inside the box, but the Uruguayan’s attempt was denied by Sociedad keeper Alex Remiro. More dramatically, Díaz broke the offside line himself in the 90th minute to finish past Remiro—only for VAR to rule the goal void after detecting Carlos Espí ahead of the ball during the buildup play.
Kylian Mbappé dominated the encounter with a three-goal performance in the 40th, 60th, and 80th minutes, while Vinícius Júnior added a fourth in the 68th. Luka Sučić pulled one back for the hosts in the 44th minute, briefly disrupting Madrid’s control of the contest.
Impact of the substitute appearance on Madrid’s options
Díaz’s involvement underscores Carlo Ancelotti’s willingness to rotate attackers in matches already decided. His quick adaptation to the tempo—evidenced by the creative pass to Valverde and the disallowed finish—reinforces that Madrid retain attacking depth beyond their main offensive trio of Mbappé, Vinícius, and Rodrygo. With limited first-half involvement, the winger demonstrated readiness to contribute when called upon, a useful asset as the club navigates a congested fixture list.
