Villarreal Crush Real Sociedad 3-1 in LaLiga Thriller

Villarreal's early flurry downs Sociedad 3-1

Villarreal beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at home, with Gerard Moreno scoring early. The win puts Villarreal third in LaLiga, boosting their Champions League hopes.

Villarreal's confidence was palpable, and they showed off their deadly counter-attacking skills...

Villarreal made a flying start, scoring three goals early on to sink Real Sociedad 3-1 at home. The Yellow Submarine's win puts them third in LaLiga, and it's their first league double over Sociedad since 2016/17.

The Spanish teams are on fire in Europe, boosting LaLiga's chances of snatching an extra Champions League spot. But Villarreal's emphatic win dashes Sociedad's hopes of finishing fifth. 

Always one to lead by example, Villarreal icon Gerard Moreno required just nine minutes to open the scoring, registering his eighth league goal of the season when heading in via Santi Comesana’s cleverly flicked ball from a near-post corner.

Real Sociedad looked nothing like the UCL side they could still be next term, and Gerard then played a role in Villarreal’s second, seeing his strike half-saved before it broke kindly for Georges Mikautadze to slot into the awaiting net.

Villarreal's confidence was palpable, and they showed off their deadly counter-attacking skills. Nicolas Pepe latched onto a quick break, worked his way in, and fired past Alex Remiro with a wicked deflection. 3-0, and Sociedad were in trouble.

Luiz Junior was the hero for Villarreal, denying Mikel Oyarzabal on the HT line. Just seconds before, Pepe had hit the woodwork at the other end. What a half.

However, the Villarreal goalkeeper was quickly brought down to earth after the restart, making the rash decision to come for a cross that was headed away by Renato Veiga, leaving the goal unguarded for half-time substitute Luka Sucic to steer home his deflected strike.

FT: #VillarrealRealSociedad 3-1

Pure entertainment! 💛💥#LALIGAEASPORTS pic.twitter.com/39lXcxhyh5

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) March 20, 2026

Mikautadze should have restored the home side’s three-goal buffer just past the 70th minute, but with only the goalkeeper to beat, he sent his shot harmlessly wide of the far post.

The Georgia international would have then breathed a sigh of relief when Orri Oskarsson had a goal chalked off for offside minutes later, which effectively ended any hopes of a Real Sociedad fightback.

The defeat leaves Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side in seventh spot and six points adrift of fifth spot, while the hosts leapfrog Atletico Madrid into third position for now.