Anoeta farewell ends in defeat

Real Sociedad brought their season to an end at Anoeta with a 3–4 defeat. In the farewell match of Aritz Elustondo, the home side were unable to give the txuri-urdin crowd a win and ultimately watched as the visitors completed a late comeback.

The match could not have started better for the hosts. A cross from Aritz to the far post found Aihen Muñoz, who struck a powerful left-footed finish into the net to open the scoring. However, the advantage lasted only briefly. Within twenty minutes, the visiting side had turned the game around thanks to goals from Javi Guerra and Hugo Duro, shifting momentum firmly in their favour. The txuri urdin still managed to respond before the break. Orri Óskarsson came close twice to restoring parity: in the first attempt he sent his shot over the bar, while in the second, Stole Dimitrievski produced a stunning save to deny him.

After halftime, the home side returned determined to complete the comeback and quickly succeeded in flipping the scoreline. A misfortune for the visitors saw Tárrega turn the ball into his own net, and shortly afterwards Orri Óskarsson unleashed a superb strike into the net after an assist from Mikel Oyarzabal. As the match entered its final stages, Remiro made a crucial save to deny the visitors an equaliser, while the txuri-urdin also had opportunities to extend their lead to 4–2. But when the game seemed to be fading, a corner kick was met by Guido Rodríguez, who headed home to level the match at 3–3. Just when the draw looked settled, stoppage time brought a final twist: Javi Guerra struck again to complete his brace and secure a 3–4 victory for the team coached by Carlos Corberán.

It was a painful ending at Anoeta in a match that had been in Real Sociedad’s hands but ultimately slipped away. The season will now conclude next weekend away against RCD Espanyol.

Match sheet:

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aritz (cap)(Aramburu, min.84), Martín, Zubeldia, Aihen (Sergio Gómez, min.58), Turrientes, Soler, Marín, Zakharyan (Oyarzabal, min.58), Brais Méndez (Sucic, min.58) and Óskarsson (Guedes, min.79).

Valencia CF: Dimitrievski, Núñez (Almeida, min.83), Tárrega (cap), Cömert, Jesús Vázquez, Rodríguez, Ugrinic (Correia, min.74), Luis Rioja (Ramazani, min.74), Diego López (Pepelu, min.74), Javi Guerra and Hugo Duro (Sadiq, min.74).

Goals: 1-0: Aihen, min.3. 1-1: Javi Guerra, min.8. 1-2: Hugo Duro, min.23. 2-2: Tárrega (p.p.), min.60. 3-2: Óskarsson, min.63. 3-3: Rodríguez, min.90.

Referee: Iosu Galech. Booked Zakharyan, Jon Martín, Zubeldia and Turrientes for Real Sociedad. Cömert was sent off with a straight red card in the 68th minute.

Attendance: 28, 466 spectators.