Ander Barrene was the hero for Real Sociedad, scoring the winning goal in the 91st minute for a dramatic 3-2 victory at Valencia's Mestalla. Matarazzo's side showed resilience to come from behind twice and secure three vital points in La Liga matchday 7, a result that lifts them to 13th place with 7 points.
La Real took the lead through a spectacular strike from Luka Sučić in the 26th minute, assisted by a brilliant backheel from Job Ochieng. The Croatian midfielder drove the team forward for much of the match. Valencia equalised in the second half through Aaron Mayol. Carlos Soler, from the penalty spot, put the visitors back in front, although an unfortunate own goal from Luken Beitia levelled the scores again. That set the stage for substitute Barrene, who finished a rehearsed move with Soler to win it in stoppage time.
Remiro and the defence
Despite conceding twice, the defence had moments of great solidity. Jon Martín made a tremendous goal-saving challenge to deny Hugo Duro a certain goal. Aitor Aramburu, returning from a European suspension, provided security. In goal, Álex Remiro had a mixed evening, making a spectacular save in the 94th minute but conceding a goal he might have done better with.
Decisive substitutions
The bench proved key. Arsen Zakharyan, who came on in the 69th minute, needed only four minutes to win the penalty converted by Soler. Soler himself, who had not played the previous Thursday, provided the decisive pass for Barrene's winner and apologised after scoring against his former club of 18 years.
The win comes after an inconsistent run, with the team's recent form showing two wins, one draw, and two losses in their last five matches. The next fixture is against Deportivo La Coruna at the Reale Arena, an opponent currently sitting seventh in the table. The team will look to build on this victory and climb the standings in La Liga.
The report in full is at Mundo Deportivo
