Barrenetxea's late winner sends Real Sociedad past Valencia

Luka Sučić opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a left-footed finish, and Valencia's Aarón Mayol levelled with a first-time strike from the edge of the area in the 57th. Carlos Soler, back at Mestalla for the first time since leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2022, put the visitors ahead again from the penalty spot in the 75th after Javi Guerra fouled Yangel Herrera.

Valencia equalised in the 84th when Luken Beitia turned the ball into his own net, awarded after a lengthy review as Aimar Blázquez met Mayol's low cross. Barrenetxea then struck in the 91st minute to make it 3-2, and Álex Remiro denied Blázquez to protect the win, leaving Valencia with four points from seven league games.

Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo told reporters after the match:

“We have got three very important points, but I think we are not going to talk about luck, because I think we deserved them, although we got them with more suffering than there should have been, because we had had a few clear chances to score the second goal, but not being accurate with the final shot or pass stopped us getting closer to the win earlier.

"Valencia then took advantage of their moment and made the victory very complicated for us, but we got three points that are very important for us.”

Matarazzo was clear about why the win took so long to secure:

“The lads are on a good path, but we need to be more ruthless in the final third. We are not there yet and that is why we had to suffer today.”

Valencia's interim coach Óscar Sánchez, expected to be replaced by Javier Aguirre after the international break according to COPE, said at his press conference, published on Valencia's official website:

“We leave quite sad. I think Valencia's fans know what they want and the players also know what these fans want. I think the team has had soul until the end, has tried at all times.

“The team has shown that it is alive, that it wants to turn the situation around.”

Sánchez said Valencia's many first-half turnovers helped Real Sociedad's transitions:

“That is what made it possible for Real to run and create dangerous situations. We were very stretched in distance when we had the ball.”

With the score at 1-1, he said, Valencia had several chances to go in front:

“The pity has been that penalty that made Real go ahead again.”