Real Sociedad claimed a key 3-2 victory over Deportivo La Coruna in a dramatic La Liga match at the Anoeta Stadium on Sunday. The win, achieved despite finishing the game with ten men, solidifies La Real's hold on sixth place in the table with 13 points from eight matches.
Pellegrino Matarazzo set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation, which paid dividends before halftime. In the 29th minute, Soler delivered a cross from the flank which Jon Martín headed home to open the scoring. "¡Goooooool! Soler puts the ball in play and Jon Martín heads it, wrong-footing the goalkeeper," said the goalscorer. Arsen Zakharyan doubled the advantage just five minutes later, making it 2-0 at the break.
Galician fightback and red card
Gonçalo Guedes extended the lead early in the second half, seemingly putting the game to bed. Deportivo fought back, however, with Mario Soriano pulling one back on the hour mark. The momentum shifted decisively when Pablo Marín was shown a straight red card for a professional foul in the 66th minute, forcing Sociedad to defend their lead a man down.
Yeremay Hernández converted a penalty for the visitors three minutes later to set up a tense finale. Despite Deportivo enjoying 60% possession and firing 21 shots, the ten men of Real Sociedad held firm. A late red card for Deportivo's Lorenzo Amatucci in added time eased the pressure. Matarazzo's late change saw Héctor Fort replace Barrenetxea to see out the game.
The three points keep Real Sociedad firmly in the European qualification spots, though they remain 11 points behind leaders Barcelona. Top scorer Luka Sučić has three goals this season. Attention now turns to the UEFA Europa League, with a trip to face Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday. Their next La Liga fixture is an away match against Malaga next weekend.
