Real Sociedad edged a wild Basque derby 3–2 away to Deportivo Alavés, surviving a dramatic finish in a game packed with goals, VAR drama and late twists.
Alavés struck first inside eight minutes when Abderrahmane Rebbach broke in behind and finished low to spark the home crowd.
Sociedad responded quickly and were level by the 15th minute through Mikel Oyarzabal, who guided a neat finish into the centre of the goal. The hosts regained the lead before the break after VAR awarded a penalty, and Toni Martínez calmly converted to make it 2–1.
The second half flipped the contest again. Sociedad piled on the pressure and equalised on 76 minutes when Gonçalo Guedes found space in the box and drilled into the bottom corner.
With Alavés still threatening on the break, the visitors delivered the decisive moment late on. Substitute Orri Óskarsson timed his run perfectly to latch onto a through ball and fire home in the 80th minute, sealing a hard-fought 3–2 win.
Softfootball reported that Despite the defeat, Alavés’ resilience this season remains clear. They recently came from behind to beat Espanyol 2–1 to boost their LaLiga survival hopes, and earlier pushed Barcelona hard before Barça fought back to win 3–1 and go top of LaLiga.
After the cup exit, Alavés struck a defiant tone on their official X handle, posting:
The dream of the Cup is over, but our identity remains untouchable. Keep your head held high. We will return.
It summed up a night of heartbreak and the spirit of a team still fighting.
