Today marks fifty years since our first-ever European competition match, played at Atotxa against the Czech side Banik Ostrava. After a brilliant 1973-74 season, where the Txuri-Urdin finished fourth in the league behind FC Barcelona, Atlético, and Zaragoza, the following campaign saw Andoni Elizondo’s team drawn against Banik Ostrava in the first round of what was then known as the UEFA Cup.
To look back on that milestone and the club’s first steps in European football, we brought together Carmelo Amas, Diego Álvarez, and Santi Idigoras—members of that historic squad—at the Reale Arena to share their memories of those early steps into European football, 50 years ago.
The tie kicked off at Atotxa, where despite outplaying their Czech opponents, Real Sociedad’s lack of experience proved costly, as they fell to a solitary second-half goal from Micka. The 1-0 loss left them facing an uphill battle, and they were eventually eliminated after a 4-0 defeat in the return leg.
The starting lineup for that first European match included Urruticoechea, Gorriti, Murillo, Gaztelu, Martínez, Kortabarria, Araquistain, Diego, Ansola, Urreisti, and Boronat, with Uranga and Amas coming off the bench. That team laid the first stone for what would become the club’s enduring European legacy.
