A breathless afternoon at the Reale Arena ended with Real Sociedad and Alaves sharing six goals and the points in a 3-3 draw that both illuminated the hosts’ European push and underlined the visitors’ resilience in their survival fight.
Real Sociedad, seventh at kick-off and chasing the Champions League spots, were stunned after just three minutes. From an early Alaves attack, Duje Caleta-Car diverted the ball past Álex Remiro for an own goal, handing the visitors an immediate 1-0 lead and silencing the home crowd.
Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side responded with composure. With 14 minutes played, their left-sided combination produced the equaliser. Ander Barrenetxea drove infield and slipped a clever pass into Luka Sucic, who arrived on the edge of the box and guided a low finish beyond Antonio Sivera for 1-1.
The game remained open and slightly chaotic, and Alaves reasserted their lead on 24 minutes. Ibrahim Diabaté found space in the area and finished clinically, restoring the visitors’ advantage at 2-1 and punishing Real Sociedad’s loose defensive structure in transition.
Yet the first half’s pattern of defensive mishaps continued three minutes later. On 27 minutes, Real Sociedad drew level again in freakish fashion when Alaves goalkeeper Antonio Sivera turned the ball into his own net. The own goal made it 2-2 and encapsulated a half in which neither back line convinced.
After the interval, Matarazzo moved early to change the attacking dynamic. At 46 minutes, Gonçalo Guedes replaced Barrenetxea on the left, adding more direct running. Eight minutes later, at 54 minutes, Takefusa Kubo came on for Brais Méndez, shifting Real Sociedad into a more aggressive 4-2-3-1 with Kubo operating between the lines.
The game’s disciplinary tone sharpened around the hour. At 59 minutes, Abderrahman Rebbach was booked for Alaves, a reflection of Quique Sanchez Flores’ side increasingly resorting to fouls to disrupt Real Sociedad’s rhythm.
Within a dramatic 60th minute, Sanchez Flores made his first attacking change and was immediately punished. Lucas Boyé replaced Diabaté for Alaves, but Real Sociedad struck almost straight from the restart. Kubo, already influential, threaded a precise pass into Orri Steinn Óskarsson, who finished confidently to give the hosts their first lead of the afternoon at 3-2.
The Japanese forward’s impact was double-edged. Four minutes later, at 64 minutes, Kubo went into the book for tripping, a sign of the game’s rising temperature. Two minutes after that, at 66 minutes, Ángel Pérez was cautioned for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Alaves reshaped their midfield. Jon Guridi made way for Carles Aleñá, while Pablo Ibáñez was replaced by Ander Guevara, adding fresh legs and more control in the centre.
Matarazzo responded on 72 minutes, withdrawing Óskarsson, whose goal had seemed decisive, and introducing Pablo Marín to stabilise the structure and help protect the narrow lead.
The closing stages descended into attrition and, ultimately, drama. At 86 minutes, Alaves made a further attacking tweak as Denis Suárez replaced Ángel Pérez, while Real Sociedad refreshed their tiring side with a double change: Sucic was replaced by Luken Beitia, and Aritz Elustondo made way for Aihen Muñoz, effectively moving the hosts into a more conservative, back-five shape in possession.
Tension spilled over in added time. At 90+2 minutes, Matarazzo himself was booked on the touchline, underlining the pressure as Real Sociedad clung to their advantage. One minute later, at 90+3, Sergio Gómez was shown a red card for a serious foul, reducing the home side to ten men and inviting a late Alaves siege.
The numerical superiority told deep into stoppage time. At 90+7 minutes, Denis Suárez, on since the 86th minute, delivered the key pass and Lucas Boyé, another substitute, applied the finish to make it 3-3, a devastating blow for Real Sociedad after their second-half turnaround.
The final moments were littered with further cautions. At 90+9 minutes, Guedes was booked for unsportsmanlike conduct, and at 90+10 Denis Suárez received a yellow card of his own, closing a tempestuous contest.
From a statistical perspective, Real Sociedad’s 54 percent possession and 12 shots, including four on target, reflected their territorial control, but they could not translate that into a decisive margin. Alaves matched their hosts with 12 shots of their own, two of them on target, and were ruthlessly efficient with those efforts. The home side’s xG of 0.94 against Alaves’ 1.13 underlined how fine the margins were, while Alaves’ two saves – exactly matching Real Sociedad’s shots on target – highlighted Sivera’s steadier second half after his earlier own goal. Real Sociedad also registered four blocked shots to Alaves’ three, indicative of the visitors’ commitment to protecting their box.
In the table, the draw moves Real Sociedad to 43 points, with their goals for rising from 49 to 52 and goals against from 48 to 51, keeping them seventh and still firmly in the hunt for European qualification, if now with regrets about two points dropped. Alaves, meanwhile, edge to 34 points; their goals for climb from 35 to 38 and goals against from 46 to 49. They remain 15th, but this late rescue point could prove vital in their ongoing survival fight.
