Real Sociedad 2-1 Espanyol: the losing run finally ends at the Reale Arena

Some victories are about more than three points — they are about stopping the bleeding. Real Sociedad arrived at the Reale Arena on the back of four straight defeats, a run that had drained confidence and put pressure on everyone connected with the club. This 2-1 win over Espanyol was the release valve: a home performance that reasserted their identity and, just as importantly, ended a slide before it hardened into a crisis. The relief around the ground at full time told its own story.

La Real could hardly have asked for a better beginning. Ander Barrenetxea struck as early as the 4th minute, finishing a Mikel Oyarzabal assist to settle the home nerves immediately. Leading inside five minutes against a side low on confidence themselves, Real Sociedad had the platform they needed. Espanyol's Roberto Fernández did level right on half-time, but the hosts had done the hard part early and knew a single goal in the second half could win it.

The captain was central to everything good. Oyarzabal turned provider twice, and it was his 61st-minute assist for Orri Óskarsson that proved decisive, the young striker restoring the lead for good. The underlying numbers backed a deserved win: 1.66 expected goals to Espanyol's 0.76, ten shots on target to three, and thirteen efforts from inside the box. This was not a smash-and-grab but a controlled home victory built on the greater threat throughout.

For a team that had forgotten how to win, the manner mattered as much as the result — leading early, responding to the equaliser, and closing the game out. Espanyol, who battled and picked up four bookings in a feisty display, leave with nothing to show for their fight. Real Sociedad leave with belief renewed. Ending a four-match losing streak at home, with the captain pulling the strings, is exactly the kind of afternoon that can turn a season back in the right direction.