Real Sociedad hangs on with ten men to beat a Deportivo side that pushed to the final whistle, 3-2

In the space of twenty minutes, Real Sociedad went from cruising in comfortable control to hanging on until the final breath. A 3-0 lead that looked all but sealed turned into a nerve-shredding 3-2 at Anoeta, with two players sent off, a penalty in the closing stretch, and Deportivo de A Coruna pushing with an extra man all the way to the final whistle.

The match opened with Depor looking lively through Yeremay Hernandez and Bil Nsongo, who both tested Alex Remiro early on without luck. But Real Sociedad struck first, and struck twice within five minutes. In the 28th minute, Jon Martin headed home a Carlos Soler corner to make it 1-0. Five minutes later, Arsen Zakharyan doubled the lead with a left-footed strike from outside the box that crept in at the near post: 2-0, and the home side went into the break fully in command.

The third goal, the penalty, and the two red cards

The second half began in the same fashion. In the 53rd minute, Goncalo Guedes finished off a counterattack started by Ander Barrenetxea with a shot into the top corner that seemed to put the game to bed: 3-0. But Deportivo de A Coruna refused to fold. Mario Soriano, set up by Riki Rodriguez, pulled one back in the 60th minute with a low shot by the post. Five minutes later, things got complicated for the hosts: Pablo Marin brought down Bil Nsongo inside the box for a penalty and was shown a straight red card. Yeremay Hernandez made no mistake from the spot in the 68th minute to make it 3-2.

Down to ten men, Real Sociedad weathered the visitors' onslaught as best it could, with Deportivo racking up as many as 21 shots over the course of the match. Deportivo de A Coruna, though, also ended up with ten men: Lorenzo Amatucci picked up his second yellow of the night in the 89th minute, deep into stoppage time, which ran to six minutes. Neither side found another goal, and the score stood at 3-2 for Real Sociedad.

What the numbers say

The stats point to clear control for Deportivo de A Coruna in terms of possession and overall output, a contrast with how the match actually finished.

The xG calculated after the fact from the match's shots backs up the visitors' dominance: 2.478 compared with 1.251 for Real Sociedad, an in-house estimate that reflects how much each side generated in attack beyond the final score.

The preview had pointed to a tighter match than the first half suggested: our projection gave Real Sociedad a 53% chance of winning, 26% for a draw, and 21% for Deportivo de A Coruna, with expected goals of 1.79 for the hosts and 1.07 for the visitors, a total of 2.86. The final result, with five goals shared and two red cards, ended up exceeding those pre-match figures, though the predicted home win did hold up.

What the match leaves behind

With this result, Real Sociedad moves to 13 points so far this season, with a record of four wins, one draw and three losses, staying 3 points clear of Deportivo de A Coruna, who have 10 points from two wins, four draws and two losses in LaLiga. A match that started as a stroll and ended as a test of character for both sides, with the two red cards standing as a symbol of a second half that got away from both teams.