Bitter draw

It was one of those frustrating days that happen occasionally. Real Sociedad nearly turned it around, but not entirely. After coming back from a two-goal deficit and taking a late lead, they ended up conceding a draw to Real Oviedo, a result that clearly does not satisfy the interests of the txuri-urdin.

The first half was filled with inaccuracies and a stop-start rhythm. It wasn’t until the closing minutes that anything of note happened: Brais, after an Oyarzabal assist, missed a clear right-footed chance against Aarón. Moments later, Ilyas also failed to hit the target, despite being in a promising scoring position.

The second half got off to a chaotic start. The referee missed what appeared to be a clear foul by Bailly on Oyarzabal, an action that could have seen the defender sent off. Soon after, Oviedo struck twice in consecutive attacks, with striker Viñas putting the visitors further ahead and unsettling the home side. Real Sociedad responded quickly: after a perfect cross from Sergio, Óskarsson headed home to cut the deficit. The team stepped up the intensity, with both Aritz and Zakharyan coming close to equalising. Their persistence paid off in the final stages: first Ćaleta-Car scored from a corner, and then Óskarsson completed a brilliant counterattack to turn the score around. However, just when victory seemed assured, Bailly headed in a corner to make it 3–3. Even in the closing moments, Matarazzo’s side had chances to grab a fourth. Zakharyan headed over from another Sergio cross, and Guedes struck the post with the outside of his right foot.

The match ended leaving the txuri-urdin with a bitter feeling. Two important points were lost, points that, hopefully, will not prove costly by the end of the season.

Match sheet:

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aramburu (Odriozola, min.53)(Aritz, min.56), Martín, Ćaleta-Car, Sergio Gómez, Gorrotxa (Zakharyan, min.77), Turrientes (Herrera, min.46), Marín, Brais Méndez, Guedes and Oyarzabal (cap).

Real Oviedo: Aarón, Nacho Vidal, Bailly, David Carmo, Javi López, Sibo (Dendoncker, min.76), Fonseca (Forbes, min.93), Hassan (Cruz, min.77), Ilyas, Viñas (Borbas, min.84) and Reina (Cazorla, min.76).

Goals: 0-1: Viñas, min.50. 0-2: Viñas, min.52. 1-2: Óskarsson, min.64. 2-2: Ćaleta-Car, min.88. 3-2: Óskarsson, min.90. 3-3: Bailly, min.93.

Referee: José Luis Munuera. Booked Sergio Gómez and Brais for Real Sociedad and Sibo for Real Oviedo.

Attendance: 30,917 spectators.