Orri Steinn Óskarsson’s 67th-minute goal gives Real Sociedad a 1-0 win

Real Sociedad beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at Anoeta Stadium, with Orri Steinn Óskarsson’s 67th-minute finish deciding a close La Liga match. What separated the teams was a single goal, although Real Sociedad created more overall pressure.

Óskarsson decides a balanced contest

After a goalless first half, Óskarsson put Real Sociedad ahead in the 67th minute, making the score 1-0. Ander Barrenetxea supplied the assist. The goal came shortly after Real Sociedad made two substitutions in the 62nd minute, bringing on Gonçalo Guedes and Hector Fort. Barrenetxea was replaced by Job Ochieng in the 71st minute.

Real Sociedad had 51% possession and recorded 17 shots to Rayo Vallecano’s 11. They also led 11-6 in shots inside the box and 7-6 on corners. However, both teams managed three shots on goal, while the expected-goals figures were relatively close at 1.5 for Real Sociedad and 1.39 for Rayo Vallecano. The narrow scoreline therefore reflected a match in which Rayo remained competitive despite creating less total volume.

Discipline and the table before kick-off

Four yellow cards were shown: Georgiy Tsitaishvili in the 34th minute, Igor Zubeldia in the 50th, Benat Turrientes in the 61st and Gnangoro Bouare in the 88th. There were no red cards.

Going into the match, Real Sociedad were ranked #5 with 19 points from 11 games, while Rayo Vallecano were ranked #14 with 12 points from 10. Real Sociedad’s standout performer was Óskarsson, rated 8.2 after 90 minutes with one goal, one shot on target and one key pass. The result gives Sociedad a win in their latest listed form result, while Rayo’s latest result is a defeat.