Barrenetxea Delivers the Final Blow to Valencia in the 90th Minute as Real Sociedad Wins 2-3

Valencia had a draw within reach until the 90th minute, then walked away from Mestalla with nothing. A poorly defended corner in the final seconds gifted Ander Barrenetxea the goal that made it 2-3 for good, a crushing blow that leaves Oscar Sanchez's side stuck near the bottom of the table and hands Pellegrino Matarazzo's Real Sociedad three vital points.

The match, part of LaLiga, had a bit of everything: early goals, a home comeback that looked complete, a penalty that put the Basques back on top, and even an own goal that brought Valencia back into it just when the game seemed to be slipping away. In the end, Real Sociedad had the last word.

A match that swung end to end

Real Sociedad took an early lead in the 25th minute when Luka Sucic connected with a left-footed strike from the center of the box that flew into the top corner, set up by an assist from Job Ochieng. Valencia, who had created danger without reward in the first half, took time to respond but did so emphatically at the start of the second: in the 56th minute, Aaron Mayol equalized with a crossed shot after a headed pass from Hugo Duro, and Mestalla started dreaming of turning the game around.

That hope didn't last long. In the 74th minute, a penalty conceded by Javi Guerra inside the box was converted by Carlos Soler, putting the visitors back in front. Valencia, though, refused to give up: in the 83rd minute, an own goal by Luken Beitia leveled things again, and it looked like the point would be shared. But in the 90th minute, off a corner kick, Barrenetxea showed up on the right side of the box and finished with his right foot into the top corner to seal the 2-3 in the dying seconds of the match.

The numbers behind the game

Valencia controlled possession and generated more overall volume, but Real Sociedad was more efficient when it mattered. Here's the statistical breakdown:

According to our xG estimate based on the shots taken in the match, Real Sociedad generated 2.374 expected goals compared to 1.877 for Valencia, a gap that ends up being consistent with a result that slipped away from the home side in the final stretch.

It's worth comparing this to what we projected before kickoff: our model gave Valencia a 36% chance of winning, 29% for a draw, and 35% for Real Sociedad, with a total expected goals figure of 2.69. The final result, with five goals on the scoreboard, exceeded that expectation, and the outcome in favor of the visitors ended up closer to the razor thin margin we projected than to a clear edge for either side.

What the result means in the standings

The loss leaves Valencia in a tough spot: with this result, Oscar Sanchez's team has just 4 points from 7 games played, with 1 win, 1 draw and 5 losses, sitting in 19th place in the table. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, moves to 10 points from 7 matches (3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses) and sits in eighth place, just 6 points above Valencia in the overall standings.

The match had everything but calm: four lead changes, a penalty, an own goal, and an outcome decided literally in the last minute of stoppage time. For Valencia, the feeling of having come back twice and still walking away empty handed weighs just as heavily as the result itself.