For a left-back, Gómez is making an unexpected impact at the sharp end of Real Sociedad’s Europa League campaign. His two goals against Lillestrøm arrived within three minutes, taking him to three in the competition and putting him among its leading scorers.
The achievement is notable not simply because Gómez is a defender, but because of the different ways he finished. His first was a powerful left-footed strike, while the second required a neat piece of movement inside the penalty area before he beat the goalkeeper with his right foot, his weaker side.
Both goals came in Real Sociedad’s 6-0 victory in Norway, and they reinforced a growing sense that Gómez is finding his confidence in attacking areas. He has now scored three times in Europe this season, making him the Basque club’s leading marksman in the competition.
That tally also places him among a select group of seven players to have reached three goals in the Europa League. For a player whose primary responsibility is usually defensive, it is an impressive return at this stage of the campaign.
Gómez’s performance was particularly striking given the rotation introduced by coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. He was one of five changes to the starting line-up, having played only 19 minutes in the previous league match against Málaga after featuring heavily in the games before it. The rest appeared to have done him good, allowing him to contribute repeatedly around the opposition box.
The brace was the second of Gómez’s professional career. His first came during his time at Anderlecht, when he scored twice in a 3-1 victory away to Charleroi five years earlier.
His latest goals also continue a productive European run for Real Sociedad. Gómez had previously scored against Bournemouth, and his ability to arrive in dangerous areas has added another dimension to the side’s attacking options.
There is a difference between a defender scoring occasionally and one becoming a team’s leading scorer in a European competition. Gómez’s three goals have put him firmly in the latter category, at least for now, and his finishes in Norway showed that he is not relying on one particular type of chance.
The left-footed strike demonstrated his ability to hit the target with power, while the second required composure and technique in a crowded area. Together, they offered a snapshot of a player growing in confidence and increasingly willing to influence matches at the other end of the pitch.
Real Sociedad will not expect their left-back to maintain the scoring rate of a specialist forward, but his contribution gives Matarazzo another source of goals. With three Europa League strikes already, Gómez has turned himself into one of the club’s most productive attacking players in the competition — an unexpected development that makes his progress worth watching.