Could have been better

Real Sociedad drew 1-1 at San Mamés in a tightly contested derby, with Brais’ red card proving costly in the final minutes. A win was within reach, but the txuri urdin side had to settle for a single point.

The realistas started strongly and had the clearest chance of the first half. A well-worked move found Marín, whose shot was blocked by Simón, and Oyarzabal, unmarked at the near post, could not convert thanks to Areso’s solid defensive effort. The home side gradually gained control, applying high pressure that tested the visitors. Around the 30-minute mark, from a corner, Guedes thundered a strike from outside the area to give Matarazzo’s men the lead. Real went into halftime leading, with the second half still ahead.

Early in the second half, Oyarzabal nearly restored parity with a moment of brilliance. He skipped past two defenders and rounded Simón, only to see his shot curl just wide. Despite being reduced to ten men after Brais’ baffling dismissal, Real defended well and limited Athletic’s opportunities. However, with just two minutes remaining, Galarreta scored a fine goal to level the match.

In the end, Real Sociedad took a point from a balanced derby, with Brais’ inexplicable red card giving the hosts the momentum to deny the visitors a deserved victory.

Match details:

Athletic Club: Simón, Areso (Gorosabel, min.79), Paredes, Yuri (cap), Boiro, Jauregizar, Rego (Ruiz de Galarreta, min.46), Unai Gómez (Navarro, min.62), Berenguer (Izeta, min.72), Nico (Williams, min.72) and Guruzeta.

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aramburu, Martín, Zubeldia, Sergio Gómez, Gorrotxa (Turrientes, min.62), Soler, Sucic (Brias Méndez, min.62), Marín (Aihen, min.85), Guedes (Wesley, min.76) and Oyarzabal (cap)(Óskarsson, min.77).

Goals: 0-1: Guedes, min.37. 1-1: Ruiz de Galarreta, min.88

Referee: Guillermo Cuadra. Booked Yuri, Areso, Izeta and Paredes for Athletic and Zubeldia and Martín for Real Sociedad. Brais was red-carded in 83rd minute.