Kubo opened the scoring in the third minute, and Óskarsson doubled the advantage before half-time. Adrián Niño briefly reduced the deficit after the break, but Oyarzabal scored twice and Pablo Martínez added another for Málaga before Guedes completed the visitors’ five-goal haul.
Málaga coach Juanfran Funes described the defeat as cruel, but accepted that his side had not done enough in either penalty area. He insisted that the players were working hard despite a difficult run of results.
“It has cost us a lot to get here, so we cannot throw in the towel. They are giving everything they have, and more, to get through this,” Funes said.
The coach took responsibility for the result while continuing to back his squad, whom he affectionately calls the ‘bichos’.
“My confidence in them is blind,” he said, adding that Málaga had to become more forceful in both boxes. “If there is no authority in the penalty areas, it is difficult to do other things during matches.”
Funes had opted to start with two forwards, hoping to exploit the spaces left by a Real Sociedad side that committed players to attack. However, the visitors repeatedly exposed Málaga’s defensive weaknesses, and the home coach acknowledged that the scoreline forced him to change his approach.
He insisted the defeat would not undermine his belief in the project, pointing to the progress made by a squad whose players had been competing in Spain’s third tier only a few seasons earlier.
“This is our project and that project has brought us here,” he said. “If we can put together several matches in which we collect points, it will be decisive, because we have talent and room to grow. My confidence in the project remains intact.”
Real Sociedad manager Pellegrino Matarazzo was delighted with his side’s attacking output, particularly after the team created enough chances to score even more.
“We started the match very well, which is important in a stadium like this. We showed ourselves the way we wanted to, played very good attacking football, probably the best for a long time, scored five goals and could have scored more because we created many opportunities,” he said.
Matarazzo also praised Kubo and Oyarzabal, who both scored their first league goals of the season. He highlighted Kubo’s determination and described Oyarzabal as an intensely competitive professional and an important leader.
The coach also pointed to strong performances across the squad, arguing that competition for places would help maintain standards. He acknowledged there was still room to improve, but felt the result provided an important opportunity for the team to develop.
For Málaga, the priority is to respond quickly. Funes urged his players to recover from the setback and prepare for their next match against Deportivo Alavés, insisting that belief must remain intact despite another painful defeat.