Espanyol vs Real Sociedad: dramatic La Liga clash

Espanyol and Real Sociedad clashed this Monday on the eve of matchday 21 in La Liga. In Barcelona, Imanol Alguacil’s side left with a three-two triumph despite a late scare, as the Basque duo chased down a deficit and turned pressure into points. Takefusa Kubo, Alexander Sorloth, and Leandro Cabrera’s own goal for Espanyol seeded the scoreline, while Darder and Brian Oliván sparked a final salvo to pull a thriller into the home stretch.

All about Espanyol vs Real Sociedad in La Liga 2022-2023: preview and updates

Real Sociedad carried the lead through the first half, with Take Kubo delivering a brilliant strike that opened the scoring. The visitors rode momentum into the second period, extending the advantage to 0-3 thanks to Sorloth and a Cabrera own goal. Yet Espanyol found life late, with Sergi Darder closing the gap and Brian Oliván pulling the scoreline closer, though the late push came up just short against a resilient Real Sociedad side.

With the win, Real Sociedad moved past the 40-point mark and solidified a position in the Champions League qualification zone, eight points ahead of Real Betis in fifth. Espanyol, meanwhile, missed a chance to breathe easier in their battle against relegation and remained just one point above Valencia at the bottom end of the table.

Subscribers can watch La Liga with DAZN, starting at €18.99 per month.

Minute by minute of Espanyol vs Real Sociedad LaLiga

Press conferences after Espanyol vs Real Sociedad LaLiga

When the match finished, the key statements and reactions were compiled for fans.

Videos, lineups and news from Espanyol vs Real Sociedad LaLiga

More clips and updates about the encounter will be released soon.

90′ 4′ Leandro Cabrera was sent off after a second yellow for a reckless challenge on Robin Le Normand, leaving Espanyol with ten players for the remainder of the game.

87′ Brian Oliván fired home to reduce the margin: ESPANYOL 2-3 Real Sociedad. A well-worked move between Oliván and Lazo resulted in a sharp cross that found the Barcelona veteran, reigniting hope for the home team.

74′ Sergi Darder pulled one back: ESPANYOL 1-3 Real Sociedad. A superb Remiro save from Puado’s headed effort gave way to Darder’s follow-up strike, closing the gap while the stadium urged the Parrots forward. Remiro briefly required attention after a clash near goal.

63′ Leandro Cabrera’s own goal made it 0-3 for Real Sociedad. Kubo’s dangerous cross found Cabrera, whose touch wrong-footed Álvaro Fernández and extended the lead for the Basques.

51′ Alexander Sorloth added a second for Real Sociedad: ESPANYOL 0-2 REAL SOCIEDAD. The Norwegian marked his presence in the box, finishing a precise assist from Oyarzabal to double the visitors’ lead.

Espanyol struggled to settle into the match, prioritizing defense as Real Sociedad controlled possession and pressed high. The Parrots attempted to stretch the field with wide players Aleix Vidal and Martin Braithwaite, but the visitors’ compact structure shut down channels. Early in the game, Álex Remiro produced a heroic save to deny a Calero header that could have altered the script, preserving the opening success for Real Sociedad.

Rest at the RCDE Stadium saw Real Sociedad head to the dressing room with a lead built on Kubo’s 23rd-minute strike, a left-footed curler from the edge of the area that eluded Álvaro Fernández. San Sebastián’s approach had been efficient, penetrating the Espanyol half with relative ease and generating a sustained wave of offensive moves. The home side faced a challenging night as they sought to stabilize ball circulation around the center circle.

23′ Take Kubo opened the scoring with a composed finish after an incisive run from Diego Rico, guiding a cross-field sequence into position before unleashing a precise strike that dipped inside the post. The goal reflected Real Sociedad’s ability to convert moments into a lead and set the tone early for the match.

Lineups saw Real Sociedad line up in a 4-4-2 configuration with Remiro, Barrenetxea, Zubeldía, Le Normand, and Rico at the back; Kubo, Illarramendi, Zubimendi, and Mendez in midfield; Sorloth and Oyarzabal up front. Imanol Alguacil retained much of the shape that defeated Valladolid, with only minor changes to give players a chance to influence the match from the start.

Espanyol rolled out a 4-3-3 arrangement: Álvaro Fernández in goal; Gil, Calero, Cabrera, Oliván in defense; Melamed, Souza, Darder in the middle; Vidal, Puado, Braithwaite in attack. The team returned to the field with notable selections like Gil and Souza back in the lineup, while Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel and César Montes came in as replacements for suspended or injured players. Espanyol continued to rely on Joselu, their top scorer, who remained unavailable due to muscle pain, adding to the challenge of breaking down a robust Real Sociedad defense.

Summary of Espanyol vs Real Sociedad LaLiga

All figures and statistics of Espanyol vs Real Sociedad LaLiga

Which post did you like the most?

• Real Betty
• sao paulo
• cremonese
• Ajax
• Burnley

12941 to vote

Thank you for voting

The results will appear shortly.

Which post did you like the most?

• 51%Real Betty
• 12%sao paulo
• 5%cremonese
• 25%Ajax
• 7%Burnley

12941 to vote

In summary, Real Sociedad earned a valuable win that kept their European ambitions intact, while Espanyol must regroup quickly as they chase safety in a tightly contested league table.