Real Sociedad dominate but toothless in Europa League opener, fall to Bournemouth

Ten minutes. That's all it took for Bournemouth to go ahead at Anoeta, and from there Real Sociedad spent the rest of the match swimming upstream. In the end, it finished 1-2 for the English side in the Europa League, leaving Real without points in their opening match of the tournament.

The blow came early. In the 10th minute, Justin Kluivert received a cross from Adrien Truffert and slotted it low, just inside the post, for the 0-1; the goal was confirmed after a VAR review. Real had barely had time to threaten, with a couple of attempts from Yangel Herrera, when they conceded the second: in the 19th minute, Rayan connected with a point-blank header off a cross from Alex Scott to make it 0-2. In just nine minutes, the match had turned into an uphill battle for the home side.

What stood out was that controlling the ball was never an issue for the San Sebastian side. With possession locked down for most of the match, they created chances, Herrera, Ander Barrenetxea and Mikel Oyarzabal all tried their luck from outside the box, without finding a way through before halftime. Bournemouth, more direct in their approach, even came close to extending their lead when Evanilson crashed a header off the post in the 24th minute.

A comeback that fell short

In the second half, Real Sociedad clawed one back. In the 56th minute, Sergio Gomez showed up on the right flank and finished with his left foot, low and inside the post, off an assist from Luken Beitia: 1-2, and the game was open again. With Goncalo Guedes on from the start of the second half and substitutions bringing on Luka Sucic, Jon Gorrotxategi, Takefusa Kubo and Arsen Zakharyan, the home side threw everything forward in search of an equalizer.

There were chances to get it: Guedes tested the keeper a couple of times, Oyarzabal clipped the crossbar in the 72nd minute, and deep into stoppage time Jon Martin and Orri Oskarsson both forced saves out of Djordje Petrovic in back-to-back plays. But the scoreboard didn't move again. Bournemouth, who brought on Bafode Diakite, Ryan Christie, Ben Gannon-Doak, Alvaro Rodriguez and David Brooks, managed to see out the lead in the closing minutes.

What the numbers say

The numbers sum up what happened fairly well: Real Sociedad controlled possession and took more shots, but Bournemouth was more clinical when it mattered. According to our xG estimate calculated from the match's shots, Real generated 1.62 expected goals compared to 1.39 for the English side, a minimal difference that confirms the match was closer than the final score suggested.

The preview we published before the match gave Bournemouth a 52% chance of winning, against a 23% chance of a home win and a 25% chance of a draw, with expected goals of 1.93 for the visitors and 1.23 for the home side. The result ended up matching that forecast: the English club took home all three points, though the total number of goals (three) fell short of the 3.16 we had projected.

With this result, and with just one matchday played in the league phase, Bournemouth picks up its first three points with a goal difference of +1, while Real Sociedad remains pointless with a -1 goal difference. It's only the first match of a long phase, but Real already knows it will need to make up lost ground in the coming rounds.