Something happens to Real Sociedad in Anoeta when they play the League. The last four home dates have been frustrating. Three previous draws and the defeat once morest Osasuna, with a thousand Pamplona fans returning exultantly along the Leizaran highway, a mountain route that became short on the way home. Imanol’s team presses, squeezes the rival, but lacks spark when he has to face the rival goalkeeper. The Navarrese, with a goal following a corner kick, withstood the harassment of a team wounded in its pride, which resisted falling, but might not find a way.
0
Remiro, Jon Aramburu, Zubeldia, Jon Pacheco, Javi Galán, Martín Zubimendi, Merino (Brais, min. 62), Beñat Turrientes (Jon Ander Olasagasti, min. 71), André Silva (Sadiq, min. 61), Take Kubo and Arsen Zakharyan (Barrenetxea, min. 61)
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Herrera, David García, Jorge Herrando, Unai García (Catena, min. 80), Jesús Areso, Mojica (Juan Cruz, min. 73), Lucas Torró, Jon Moncayola (Pablo Ibáñez, min. 73), Aimar Oroz, Rubén Peña (Rubén García, min. 65) and Ante Budimir (Raul García de Haro, min. 73)
Goals 0-1 min. 49: Ante Budimir.
Referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos
Imanol Alguacil designed a lineup that thought a lot regarding Paris and the Parc des Princes, where Real will play in the Champions League on Wednesday once morest PSG, and Jagoba Arrasate another to put cement in their defensive line, so for many minutes they were hungry. and the desire to eat, with the reservations that the Real coach took and the precautions that Osasuna exhibited in the first half, in which he tried to deploy himself a few times, quite timidly, although he had a few minutes in which he stretched, midway through the opening set, first with a counterattack that ended with Rubén Peña’s shot that Remiro deflected, and shortly following in a foul on the edge of the penalty, just by centimeters, when Aimar Oroz infiltrated.
But they were just brushstrokes, in a picture that Real Sociedad painted almost alone, although running into a wall in the line of five defenses that Osasuna prepared. Zakharyan was, initially, the most prominent local player, because he found corridors on the left. His first shot, with murderous intentions, missed over the crossbar. Five minutes later, the Russian put a ball to André Silva. His header went high.
Osasuna tightened the nuts. Arrasate did not want water leaks, and for quite some time, La Real might not find passable paths to present itself with possibilities once morest Herrera. Mojica kept a good eye on Take Kubo, who was able to escape for once following half an hour, to be on the verge of creating one of those messes that revolutionize a game, but Zakharyan arrived late to the shot from the center parallel to the six-yard box. Then, following a loud and unanimous request for a penalty for a fall by André Silva in the area, which neither the referee nor the VAR considered as such, the Japanese put the Osasuna goalkeeper to the test with Real’s only shot on goal. in the first part, which Herrera neutralized.
But the entire script was forcibly changed at the beginning of the second half. Real came out with energy, but in the first ball that appeared in their area, the ball went to a corner, which Moncayola took wonderfully for Budimir’s unappealable header. Osasuna unexpectedly took the lead and then Imanol had to resort to all the heavy machinery that he reserved on the bench. He did not take half measures and put Brais, Barrenetxea and Sadiq on the field.
The harassment then began, but the demolition was not completed. La Real kept the ball almost exclusively, but they found a fronton where all the balls bounced. A solid Osasuna at the back, perhaps covering Herrera too closely, defended with all its strength, without sparing one. Faced with an insistent bombardment from the wings, he responded firmly, repelling with his head, his foot, or any other part of the body allowed by the regulations, any realistic attempt to balance the score.
The entire second half was played in Osasuna’s field, no matter how much Aimar Oroz tried to stretch his team when he received the ball.
The mission was to hold on, and neither the intentions of Kubo on the right, associated with Traoré, nor those of the other gang in which Barrenetxea moved, found fruit. A saving clearance always appeared for Osasuna, who had not won a game once morest Real Sociedad since the 2011/12 season, and had not assaulted Anoeta since 2005/06. Jagoba Arrasate, raised as a coach in Zubieta, had never beaten his former team. He finally broke that streak.
La Real ended up hurt and frustrated, a few days away from facing their Champions League tie once morest PSG in Paris. Imanol has three days to motivate his players before a momentous event for their European future.
