After the second Real Madrid goal, the pressure in the stadium shifted completely onto the home side.
Imanol Alguacil, the Real Sociedad manager, was absolutely furious.
He stormed to the edge of his technical area, waving his arms aggressively at his players.
"Wake up! Don't be afraid of them! Fight them!" Imanol bellowed, his voice straining. "This is the Anoeta! This is our home ground! Go all out!"
His words seemed to spark something in the Basque team.
In the 28th minute, Real Sociedad finally found a rhythm.
Mikel Merino, their midfield maestro, dropped his shoulder and executed a sharp change of direction in the center circle, cleverly escaping the pressing shadow of Luka Modrić.
Creating a pocket of space, Merino didn't hesitate. He launched a raking, diagonal long pass over the Real Madrid defensive line.
The ball dropped precisely into the Real Madrid penalty area.
Alexander Isak, utilizing his massive frame, moved early and established a dominant position.
He successfully held off Raphaël Varane, winning the initial aerial duel.
However, Isak received the ball with his back firmly to the goal, leaving him with no angle for a direct shot.
With no other choice, the Swedish striker laid the ball off to Ander Barrenetxea, who had arrived on the left wing.
Dani Carvajal was already positioned defensively.
Having been beaten for pace by Barrenetxea earlier in the match, the veteran full-back was hyper-focused.
He crouched low, refusing to commit to a tackle, completely shutting down the winger's driving lanes.
Barrenetxea attempted several stepovers to create space, but Carvajal held his ground.
Frustrated, Barrenetxea laid the ball back to his supporting full-back, Aihen Muñoz.
Muñoz didn't try to dribble.
He took one touch to set himself and whipped a dangerous, early cross into the penalty area.
In front of the goal, Isak had already launched himself into the air.
In the ensuing aerial battle, the towering Swede showed absolutely no fear of Sergio Ramos.
He utilized his height advantage perfectly, beating the Real Madrid captain to the ball.
Isak snapped his neck muscles, powering a header downward toward the goal.
The ball smashed into the net like a cannonball, leaving Courtois rooted to the spot!
"Goal! Goal! Goal!"
"It's in! Alexander Isak scores Real Sociedad's first goal of the new season!"
"1–2!"
"Real Sociedad, playing at home, have successfully cut the deficit to one!"
The local Spanish commentator roared with delight.
The Anoeta stadium exploded.
Over 30,000 Basque fans began twirling their blue-and-white scarves above their heads, the noise deafening.
Although they were still trailing, breaching the Real Madrid defense was enough to ignite genuine hope.
After all, their opponent tonight was the mighty Los Blancos.
However, the home crowd's joy was remarkably short-lived.
Exactly five minutes later, Real Madrid delivered a ruthless, clinical response.
Following the restart, Real Madrid circulated possession patiently through the midfield.
The ball eventually found its way to Theodore Bjorn.
This was terrible news for Real Sociedad.
Theodore took a touch and suddenly pushed the ball forward, dropping his shoulder as if preparing to launch a solo dribble through the center of the pitch.
On the touchline, Imanol recognized the danger instantly.
He pointed frantically.
"Quick! Close him down! Stay with their number 10! Do not let him break through!"
Instantly, the Real Sociedad midfield collapsed on him.
Mikel Merino and Ander Guevara scrambled to close the distance.
Both players were acutely aware of how terrifying the teenager could be if given space.
In a moment of pure desperation, both Merino and Guevara launched into aggressive sliding tackles simultaneously, hoping to sandwich him.
"A double flying tackle?"
"But Theodore has passed the ball away!"
"What a ball!"
"This long pass over the top has landed perfectly into the path of Benzema!"
Just before the sliding tackles arrived, Theodore had scooped a brilliant, disguised lob over the entire Real Sociedad defensive line.
Karim Benzema watched the ball drop over his shoulder inside the penalty area.
He didn't take a touch to control it. He simply opened his body, executing a flawless, first-time volley.
Real Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro was hyper-focused.
He launched himself toward the near post the instant Benzema swung his boot.
But the shot was simply too powerful.
The ball tore off Benzema's laces like an arrow fired from a longbow, burying itself firmly into the roof of the net before Remiro's hands were even fully extended.
3–1!
Real Madrid restored their two-goal cushion.
"It's in!"
"An incredible volley from Karim Benzema!"
"And we have to mention, that is another assist from Theodore Bjorn!"
"It certainly looks like Theodore has fully adapted to the rhythm of La Liga!"
After scoring, Benzema immediately spun around and pointed at the architect of the goal.
He sprinted toward Theodore, grabbing him in a massive bear hug.
"Theodore, what a pass!" Benzema yelled, a massive grin on his face. "I hope we can link up like that all season."
"No problem, Karim," Theodore replied with a smile.
Ever since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, Benzema had shouldered the immense burden of Real Madrid's attack.
But in recent seasons, despite scoring 21 league goals last year, he had struggled to match the sheer dominance of Lionel Messi in the scoring charts, often cutting a frustrated figure.
Theodore's arrival, however, was a revelation.
With a playmaker capable of delivering passes of that quality, Benzema knew he could potentially experience a career renaissance.
...
With the score at 3-1, the pressure shifted squarely back onto the home side.
Following the restart, Real Sociedad's players displayed commendable fighting spirit.
Their attacking quartet of Isak, Oyarzabal, Merino, and Barrenetxea threw everything they had at the Madrid defense, unleashing a barrage of shots.
Unfortunately for Imanol's side, their attacks were loud but lacked genuine precision.
They registered numerous attempts, but failed to truly test Thibaut Courtois again before the halftime whistle blew.
The teams headed into the dressing rooms with Real Madrid comfortably leading 3-1 away from home, courtesy of goals orchestrated by Theodore, Ødegaard, and Benzema.
Shortly after the second half commenced, Imanol made his tactical adjustments.
The veterans were introduced. David Silva and Adnan Januzaj stepped onto the pitch.
"Oh! Real Sociedad are the first to make substitutions," Tyler noted. "The legendary David Silva has come on to replace Guevara. At the same time, the former Belgian wonderkid Adnan Januzaj replaces Portu, who had a quiet game."
"It looks like Imanol wants to fight Real Madrid to the bitter end!" Neville added.
The substitutions made an immediate impact.
Real Sociedad's attack instantly looked sharper and more creative.
In the 48th minute, Januzaj received the ball wide on the right flank.
Facing the aggressive marking of Ferland Mendy, the Belgian winger was brimming with confidence.
Januzaj executed a rapid series of stepovers, feinting inside before suddenly dropping his shoulder and pushing the ball down the line.
The sudden change of rhythm completely wrong-footed Mendy, allowing Januzaj to break free and whip a highly dangerous cross into the Madrid penalty area.
The ball whipped into the mixer with serious pace.
Isak, timing his run perfectly, launched himself into the air once again, aiming for the delivery.
However, Real Madrid's defensive duo of Sergio Ramos and Raphaël Varane were absolute titans.
As Isak jumped, both center-backs engaged him in the air, sandwiching the young striker and severely disrupting his balance.
Under the immense physical pressure of two world-class defenders, Isak's header was weak and inaccurate.
It floated harmlessly toward Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgian goalkeeper caught it easily.
He took two steps forward and instantly launched a massive, underarm throw out to the right wing, targeting Theodore Bjorn.
"Theodore receives the ball!" Tyler shouted. "This is a major counterattack chance for Real Madrid!"
On the right wing, Theodore controlled the throw perfectly on his chest. He didn't hesitate for a microsecond.
He pushed the ball forward with his right boot and engaged the afterburners.
His terrifying speed, amplified by the Bale Peak Card, was fully unleashed.
Once Theodore hit top speed, he was a blur of white lightning.
The Real Sociedad defenders could only watch helplessly as the gap between them widened instantly.
Within seconds, Theodore had blown past the halfway line and surged deep into the Real Sociedad half.
"Gorosabel and Elustondo are scrambling back!" Neville warned. "They are trying to close him down!"
But Theodore was simply moving too fast.
As the two defenders attempted to pinch him, Theodore executed a massive, heavy touch with his right foot, knocking the ball ten yards ahead of himself, completely bypassing the attempted block.
He left both defenders grasping at thin air. For a brief moment, Gorosabel and Elustondo looked like training cones planted in the grass.
Two seconds later, Theodore arrived at the edge of the Real Sociedad penalty area.
Channeling the raw power of his Cristiano Ronaldo Peak Long Shot Card, he didn't look for a pass.
He simply unleashed a devastating strike!
The ball exploded off his boot.
It flew with terrifying velocity, ripping through the air and smashing into the absolute dead corner of the net.
Álex Remiro, much like his defenders, had absolutely no chance to react.
4–1!
Real Madrid had effectively ended the contest.
"ANOTHER SOLO MASTERPIECE FROM THEODORE BJORN!" Tyler roared. "From his own half to the back of the net in less than ten seconds! The pace is simply unplayable!"
Even the local Spanish commentator, usually heavily biased toward the home side, was stunned into admiration.
"Madre mía, an unbelievable attack!" the Spanish commentator yelled over the broadcast. "Real Madrid's number 10 looks as if he has been possessed by the spirit of Gareth Bale! Lightning-fast speed! The Real Sociedad defenders were utterly defenseless!"
"This new Real Madrid signing has already scored two goals tonight. He has also provided two assists… he is truly terrifying!"
In the stands, the 30,000 home fans were stunned into complete silence.
Many sat with their mouths open, struggling to process the sheer dominance they had just witnessed.
After scoring, Theodore's expression remained remarkably calm.
He didn't celebrate wildly.
He simply raised one hand toward the small pocket of traveling Real Madrid fans in the upper tier, acknowledging their cheers, before quietly jogging back to his own half.
For Theodore, scoring a brace on his La Liga debut felt entirely routine.
Following the restart, the Real Sociedad players were mentally broken.
The suffocating reality of the 4-1 deficit, combined with Real Madrid's intense pressing, led to a cascade of unforced errors from the Basque side.
Although they now had the legendary David Silva on the pitch attempting to dictate play, the veteran found himself completely neutralized by Theodore.
Operating in his defensive midfield role, Theodore shadowed Silva relentlessly.
The Spanish maestro barely touched the ball for the remainder of the match.
On the rare occasions Silva did receive a pass, Theodore utilized his Gattuso-enhanced tackling attributes, dispossessing the veteran cleanly within three seconds.
With David Silva's playmaking abilities entirely shut down, Real Sociedad's attack evaporated.
After ninety minutes of dominance, the referee blew the final whistle.
The score remained 4–1.
...
With two goals and two assists, Theodore Bjorn had almost single-handedly dismantled a top-six La Liga side, ensuring Real Madrid started their campaign with a resounding away victory.
Unsurprisingly, Theodore was named Player of the Match.
In the mixed zone, a reporter from Marca approached him with a microphone.
"Theodore, congratulations on an incredible debut," the reporter said. "Two goals and two assists. How does it feel to play in La Liga? How does the style compare to the Premier League?"
Theodore answered casually, his breathing steady. "La Liga teams generally possess more delicate technique and place a higher emphasis on tactical coordination and possession. The Premier League is much more focused on high-intensity physical battles and transitions. But honestly, football is football. I can adapt to any league."
The reporter pressed further. "With this incredible start, are you aiming to win the Pichichi (La Liga Golden Boot) and the top assist provider award by the end of the season?"
Theodore shook his head dismissively. "I have said this many times. Individual awards are irrelevant to me. I only care about helping the team win trophies. My sole objective this season is to help Real Madrid win every single competition we enter."
...
Following the opening weekend, Real Madrid sat second in the league table.
Barcelona occupied the top spot. While both giants had won their opening fixtures, Barcelona had demolished Getafe 5-0 at Camp Nou, securing a slightly superior goal difference.
The following morning, the Spanish sports dailies went into absolute meltdown over Theodore's debut.
AS: "THE €320 MILLION MONSTER! Theodore Bjorn announces himself with 2 goals and 2 assists, dismantling Real Sociedad on his La Liga debut!"
Marca: "EXCLUSIVE: Theodore Bjorn declares he wants every trophy in Spain! The new King of Madrid has arrived."
Mundo Deportivo (Catalonia): "The eighteen-year-old Norwegian brings his frightening talent to Spain. He made light work of a strong Real Sociedad side. Is the Premier League dominator about to conquer La Liga?"
Sport (Catalonia): "An unstoppable force. Who said he wasn't worth the fee? Theodore Bjorn used exactly one match to silence his critics. He single-handedly destroyed Real Sociedad."
Across the Spanish football forums, the debate was raging.
The Messi vs. Ronaldo war was over.
And a new rivalry was brewing.
Real Madrid fans and Barcelona fans were already viciously arguing over whether the teenage prodigy could dethrone the Argentine legend!