LaLiga: Real Sociedad Beats Athletic Club 3-2 in Dramatic Encounter

Real Sociedad edges Athletic Club 3-2 in thrilling LaLiga match

Real Sociedad held off Athletic Club 3-2 in a thrilling LaLiga match, with Jon Gorrotxategi scoring the winning goal in the 92nd minute.

The second half got off to a frantic start, with Sociedad taking the initiative and Goncalo Guedes beating the Athletic defense with a burst of speed...

Real Sociedad edged out Athletic Club 3-2 in a thrilling LaLiga match, marking their second consecutive win for the first time since April. The intense atmosphere at the Reale Arena was set from the start.

The match got off to a rugged start, with the driving rain in San Sebastian causing several mistimed tackles. As a result, both teams struggled to gain momentum, and goalkeepers Unai Simon and Alex Remiro remained largely unchallenged in the opening 10 minutes.

Real Sociedad took the lead just before halftime when Ander Barrenetxea's low cross was parried by Unai Simon, and Brais Mendez poked the ball home. However, Athletic quickly equalized with Gorka Guruzeta's goal, fired through a crowd of players.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Goncalo Guedes restored Real Sociedad's lead with a beautiful touch-and-finish, but Robert Navarro's equalizer for Athletic was onside. Ultimately, Jon Gorrotxategi sealed the win with a powerful shot in the 92nd minute.

The match got off to a lackluster start, highlighted by Alex Berenguer's poorly executed free-kick. Both teams' midfielders, including Athletic's Oihan Sancet and Sociedad's Jon Gorrotxategi, were solid in breaking up opposition attacks and preventing any clear scoring opportunities.

The goalless stalemate persisted until the 19th minute, when Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simón made a notable save, diving full-length to his left to deny Carlos Soler's well-placed shot. Sociedad began to gain momentum as the half progressed, with Mikel Oyarzabal having a promising chance to score when he found himself unmarked and in a good position, but he inexplicably failed to hit the target.

Just before halftime, Real Sociedad finally broke the deadlock when Brais Mendez reacted quickly to a deflected cross and poked the ball home at the second attempt, giving the hosts the lead.

However, Athletic wasted no time in responding, equalizing with their first shot on target. Gorka Guruzeta fired the ball through a crowd of players to find the back of the net, leveling the score.

The second half got off to a frantic start, with Sociedad taking the initiative and Goncalo Guedes beating the Athletic defense with a burst of speed. The Portuguese winger's effort proved unstoppable as he fired the ball past Unai Simon, restoring Sociedad's lead.

🔚 FULL-TIME! THE DERBY IS TXURI URDIN!!! AUPA REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!! 💙💙💙 pic.twitter.com/NEf9EnwRUa

— Real Sociedad 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 (@RealSociedadEN) November 1, 2025

Athletic's response to Sociedad's goal was robust but lacked threat, prompting coach Ernesto Valverde to introduce Nico Williams with 35 minutes remaining.

The home side thought they had sealed the win when Take Kubo's clever run led to a potential third goal, but VAR intervened to rule him offside, much to the frustration of the Sociedad fans.

The boost from Guedes' goal carried over into Athletic's play, and they soon had a chance to equalize. Iñaki Williams fired over the bar after a well-worked move. Aymeric Laporte had a golden opportunity to score when he connected with a cross while unmarked just a few yards out, but he headed wide.

Athletic's persistence eventually paid off when a looping header from Dani Vivian hit the bar after being pushed by Remiro. The rebound fell to Robert Navarro, who smashed the ball home to equalize for Athletic.

The match's intensity picked up in the final minutes, with both teams creating scoring opportunities. Gorrotxategi sealed the win for Sociedad with a powerful shot in stoppage time, assisted by Oyarzabal.

The 3-2 victory moved Real Sociedad up three places in the LaLiga table. Meanwhile, Athletic Club's loss left them with their lowest points total after 11 games since the 2020/21 season.

The Final Result

The 3-2 victory moved Real Sociedad up to 13th place in the LaLiga table, while Athletic remained in 10th. The win marked a significant turnaround for Real Sociedad, who had struggled against Athletic in recent matches.