Reuters
 
Madrid, Feb 11: David Beckham scored on his return after a month on the sidelines to inspire Real Madrid to a 2-1 comeback win at Real Sociedad in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
 

The former England captain netted his third league goal of the season when he sent a 25-metre free kick skidding under goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and inside the far post to cancel out an early header from Sociedad midfielder Mikel Aranburu.

Beckham's former Manchester United colleague Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed the winner three minutes after the break when he headed in a cross from right back Miguel Torres.

It was the first time in 11 outings Real had scored more than one goal in a game.

The victory, coming after back-to-back defeats by Levante and Villarreal, lifted Real to third place in the table with 41 points from 22 games.

It also eased the pressure on coach Fabio Capello, who backtracked on his decision to leave out Beckham following the midfielder's announcement last month that he would be joining Los Angeles Galaxy at the end of the season.

"I'm happy he scored a goal from a free kick as he hasn't scored many this season," Capello told reporters. "He played a great game today."

Sociedad remain one point off the bottom and eight from safety with all their immediate rivals yet to play this weekend.