In a highly charged encounter on matchday 14 of La Liga, Villarreal, also known as ‘El Submarino Amarillo’, showcased their superiority with a last-minute 3-2 victory against Real Sociedad. The match was tense throughout, culminating in a nail-biting finish that had fans on the edge of their seats. The scoreboard reflected a momentary tie between the two teams, highlighting the competitiveness of the clash. Ayoze Pérez opened the scoring for Villarreal at the 30th minute, while Alberto Moleiro netted twice (11’ and 49’ in the second half). Carlos Soler (14’ of the second half) and Ander Barrenetxea (41’, free kick) managed to score for the home side, but it wasn’t enough to secure a point.
A standout moment came when Alberto Moleiro completed a stunning solo effort at the 49th minute of the second half, dazzling fans with a remarkable shot into the right post.
Moleiro’s performance earned him the title of man of the match, as he not only scored two goals but also completed 14 accurate passes and made three tackles, testing the opposing goalkeeper with four shots throughout the match.
Carlos Soler, from Real Sociedad, also put forth an impressive performance, scoring one goal, delivering 41 successful passes, and intercepting the ball twice.
Real Sociedad’s coach, Sergio Francisco, deployed a 4-5-1 formation with Alex Remiro in goal; Jon Aramburu, Jon Martín, Aritz Elustondo, and Sergio Gómez forming the defensive line; Jon Gorrotxategi, Carlos Soler, Takefusa Kubo, Brais Méndez, and Gonçalo Guedes in midfield; and Umar Sadiq leading the attack.
On the other side, Marcelino García Toral’s squad employed a 4-4-2 formation, with Luiz Júnior guarding the goal; Álvaro Mouriño, Juan Foyth, Rafa Marín, and Alfonso Pedraza in defense; Tajon Buchanan, Santi Comesaña, Pape Gueye, and Alberto Moleiro in midfield; and Gerard Moreno paired with Ayoze Pérez up front.
César Soto Grado officiated the match held at Anoeta Stadium.
Looking ahead, Real Sociedad will travel to face Alavés, while Villarreal will host Getafe. Currently, the home team sits in ninth place with 16 points, while Villarreal has surged to second place with 32 points in the league standings.
Substitutions for Real Sociedad
55’ – Umar Sadiq was replaced by Ander Barrenetxea
76’ – Carlos Soler was substituted for Arsen Zakharyan and Gonçalo Guedes was replaced by Gorka Carrera
83’ – Sergio Gómez came off for Mikel Goti and Takefusa Kubo was substituted for Beñat Turrientes
Yellow Cards for Real Sociedad:
41’ – Umar Sadiq (Unsporting behavior), 23’ – Jon Martín (Unsporting behavior), 24’ – Ander Barrenetxea (Insulting or disapproving the referee)
Substitutions for Villarreal
68’ – Gerard Moreno was replaced by Georges Mikautadze and Pape Gueye came off for Dani Parejo
77’ – Alfonso Pedraza was substituted by Sergi Cardona and Tajon Buchanan was replaced by Ilias Akhomach
85’ – Ayoze Pérez was substituted for Tani Oluwaseyi
Yellow Cards for Villarreal:
20’ – Pape Gueye (Unsporting behavior), 46’ – Ayoze Pérez (Unsporting behavior), 4’ – Alberto Moleiro (Unsporting behavior), 21’ – Alfonso Pedraza (Unsporting behavior), 27’ – Álvaro Mouriño (Unsporting behavior), 28’ – Luiz Júnior (Delay of game) and 44’ – Juan Foyth (Unsporting behavior)