Real Sociedad had hoped to quench their thirst for points in the Europa League with their visit to the Czech Republic on Thursday, but they return to San Sebastián grappling with the aftermath of a disappointing defeat. A late goal from Vasulin handed Viktoria Pilsen a victory that darkens the horizon for the Donostiarra side in the second-tier continental competition, while boosting the Czech team’s prospects.
After a great header from Óskarsson, following a cross from Oyarzabal, allowed Imanol Alguacil’s men to equalize after Adu’s dangerous goal put the home team ahead, the visitors pushed for a turnaround, creating opportunities despite Viktoria Pilsen also showing their teeth. However, luck evaded Real Sociedad as the outcome leaves them outside the positions that would qualify them for the next round.
With just four points from four matches and currently sitting twenty-fifth in the table, Real Sociedad faces a tough task ahead, especially with high-caliber opponents like Ajax and Lazio still to come if they hope to advance to the knockout stages, as direct qualification for the round of sixteen seems almost a fantasy at this point.
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Imanol Alguacil was satisfied with Real Sociedad’s convincing win over Sevilla last Sunday at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. For this reason, and considering the significance of the match, the coach did not make further changes to his lineup from the aforementioned duel in Seville, aside from bringing Óskarsson to the forefront, sacrificing Brais Méndez in the midfield. This adjustment saw Sergio Gómez moved into a midfield role, while Kubo, who played his one hundredth match as a txuri urdin player, and Oyarzabal took the wide positions in the attacking trident.
The captain of Real Sociedad led the team’s promising start, which saw three interesting attacks down the left flank, but they soon found themselves trailing in the scoreline. Viktoria Pilsen held firm against the initial onslaught from Real Sociedad, gradually equalizing the play when Adu capped off a counterattack, beating Remiro with a low right-footed shot into the near post.
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The verticality of the Ghanaian forward became one of Viktoria Pilsen’s main weapons, a well-drilled team under the guidance of veteran Czech coach Miroslav Koubek, who was observing from the stands due to a suspension. The Real Sociedad defense struggled against Pilsen’s onslaught at a time when the visitors were pushing for an equalizer.
Real Sociedad lacked precision in their passing, hindered by the individual marking tactics from Viktoria Pilsen until Oyarzabal broke free with a clever maneuver to create space against a hesitant Paluska, delivering a pinpoint cross that Óskarsson headed home with an extraordinary finish. Moments later, Oyarzabal wasted a clear opportunity to reverse the score, failing to control a marvelous pass from Zubeldia that left him one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
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Real Sociedad dominated the match, but Viktoria Pilsen posed a constant threat with dangerous attacks that tested the txuri urdin’s resilience. Remiro thwarted a violent shot from Sulc in a match that opened up more in the second half. Oyarzabal responded with a fierce shot that Jedlicka deflected, and Jirka followed up with a shot that went wide.
Viktoria Pilsen, having drawn their first three matches in the group stage, stepped up their game, putting Remiro to the test once again with a delicate chip from Adu. By that point, Imanol Alguacil had made some changes, introducing Sheraldo Becker in hopes that the Surinamese international could utilize his speed to exploit the spaces created, before also bringing on Brais Méndez for Javi López, repositioning Sergio Gómez as a left-back.
The substitutions crafted a sharp move where Óskarsson disturbed Oyarzabal, and the Donostiarra side continued to push for victory. However, a deflection off Vasulin following a shot from Kalvach led to an unfair defeat that Oyarzabal could not avert with a late chance that followed Óskarsson’s flick, complicating their European journey significantly.
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