Valencia took victory from Anoeta in seven goals and overtook Real Sociedad
Valencia CF defeated Real Sociedad 4:3 in the 37th-round LaLiga match played on 17 May 2026 at the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastián, in a duel that, according to the official LaLiga match report, gathered 28,466 spectators. The match was the highest-scoring of that round and offered several comebacks, an early goal by the home side, Valencia's response, Real Sociedad's return in the second half, and a dramatic outcome in stoppage time. According to official LaLiga data, Aihen Muñoz scored for the home team, César Tárrega equalized with an own goal, and Orri Steinn Óskarsson scored Real Sociedad's third goal. Valencia's scorers were Javi Guerra with two goals, Hugo Duro and Guido Rodríguez.
The match had special competitive importance because it was played in the penultimate round of the championship, at a time when the lower and middle part of the table remained extremely tight. With the victory, Valencia reached 46 points and, according to the standings published on the club's official website after the round, took ninth place. Real Sociedad remained on 45 points and fell behind Sunday's opponent, although the season for the San Sebastián club already had a different broader context because of winning the Copa del Rey, as El País noted in its live coverage. For Valencia, meanwhile, the away celebration carried additional weight because it reinforced the impression that the team had moved out of the danger zone in the final part of the season and opened up the possibility of a better placing ahead of the final round.
Lightning start and quick reaction from the visitors
Real Sociedad opened the match ideally. Aihen Muñoz scored as early as the 3rd minute, after an assist from Aritz Elustondo, with which the home team immediately made use of the pressure from the start of the match. The early goal could have directed the match toward home control, but Valencia responded almost without delay. According to LaLiga's official match flow, Javi Guerra equalized in the 8th minute after an assist from Diego López, with which the visiting team quickly canceled Real Sociedad's initial advantage.
After that equalizer, the duel remained open, but it became increasingly clear that Valencia had the greater need for a result. In the 22nd minute, Hugo Duro scored for 2:1 after a pass from Eray Cömert, so Carlos Corberán's team turned the result around in only about fifteen minutes. El País highlighted in its live reporting that Valencia showed more intensity at that stage, while Real Sociedad, after the early lead, lost part of its initial sharpness. Until the break, the home side had chances to come back, especially through Óskarsson, but goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski maintained the visitors' lead.
The first half ended with Valencia leading 2:1, and the impression after the first 45 minutes was that neither team had established complete control. Real Sociedad created danger in bursts, Valencia punished space and mistakes more efficiently, and the tempo of the match remained high. Such a balance of forces announced a continuation in which the match did not calm down, but instead gained even more intensity and scoreline twists. It proved especially important that the home coach did not wait long to react after the break.
Real Sociedad's changes brought a turnaround in the second half
In the second half, Real Sociedad tried to change the rhythm of the match with substitutions. According to the official LaLiga match report, Sergio Gómez, Mikel Oyarzabal and Luka Sučić came on in the 57th and 58th minutes, while Aihen Muñoz, Arsen Zakharyan and Brais Méndez went off. Those changes had an almost immediate effect. In the 60th minute, Real Sociedad equalized when César Tárrega diverted the ball into his own net after a home action, which brought the score back to 2:2.
Only three minutes later, the home side took the lead again. Mikel Oyarzabal, one of the players whose entrance changed the tone of the match, assisted Óskarsson for 3:2. The Icelandic striker, who had earlier missed several good chances, this time finished the move and gave Real Sociedad a complete turnaround in the second half. At that moment it seemed that the home team had found stability, while Valencia had to look for an answer again after letting slip the advantage gained in the first part.
However, the match still remained far from settled. Carlos Corberán reacted with a series of substitutions in the 73rd and 74th minutes, and among the players who came on were Umar Sadiq, Thierry Correia, Largie Ramazani and Pepelu. Valencia thereby tried to increase energy in the closing stages, especially on the flanks and in transition. Although Real Sociedad had the lead, the visitors did not abandon their direct approach and continued to look for set pieces, crosses and quick exits toward the home penalty area.
Guido Rodríguez and Javi Guerra decided the match in the closing stages
Valencia reached the equalizer in the 89th minute. According to LaLiga's official description, Guido Rodríguez scored with a header after André Almeida's delivery from a corner and made it 3:3. It was a moment that changed the psychology of the closing stages, because Real Sociedad, in a short time, went from a controlled advantage to a situation in which it had to defend a point. Additional tension was also brought by yellow cards in the closing stages, among others for Beñat Turrientes, Igor Zubeldia and Jon Martín, which testified to the increasingly nervous rhythm of the final minutes.
Stoppage time lasted eight minutes, and Valencia used it in the best possible way. In the 93rd minute, Javi Guerra scored his second goal of the match and brought the visitors a 4:3 victory. LaLiga states that he scored with his left foot from the middle of the penalty area after a quick move and an assist from Thierry Correia. El País described that final goal as the decisive moment in a match with a series of comebacks, in which Valencia once again turned the result around when it seemed that the home side was closer to victory.
Guerra thus became the key figure of the match. With his first goal, he brought Valencia back after Real Sociedad's early lead, and with his second he concluded the match in stoppage time. His performance is especially important because it came away from home, against an opponent that showed a strong reaction in the second half and had a scoreline advantage. For Valencia, this was a victory that carries more than three points: it brought psychological momentum, improved the position in the table and confirmed that the team can endure a match full of changes in rhythm and scoreline blows.
Valencia strengthened the middle of the table, Real Sociedad remained without a calm farewell from home ground
According to data published on Valencia's official website after the match, the club had 46 points after the 37th round and was in ninth place, ahead of Real Sociedad, which had 45 points. That figure shows how important the direct duel at Anoeta was for the standings in the middle of the table. In the final part of the season, the difference between several clubs was very small, so every victory could mean a jump of several positions. Valencia overtook Real Sociedad with three points and entered the final round with a better competitive position.
Real Sociedad, on the other hand, missed the opportunity to conclude the home part of the league season with a victory in front of its fans. The team led twice, first at the very beginning and the second time after a turnaround in the second half, but neither time did it manage to maintain scoreline control. The impression of the ending will particularly remain, in which the home side conceded a goal after a corner in the 89th minute, and then in the 93rd minute the decisive goal from a quick visiting action. Such an outcome is especially painful because Real Sociedad, after substitutions in the second part, had a period in which it looked like a team that had found solutions.
The home side nevertheless showed attacking quality, which is confirmed by three goals scored and the dangers it created through Óskarsson, Oyarzabal and players who entered from the second plan. The problem was defensive stability. Conceding four goals at home in the penultimate round leaves the impression of a match in which attacking sequences were better than risk control. Valencia used that, not only through the individual quality of Javi Guerra, but also through the set piece for the equalizer and the transition for the winning goal.
A match that sums up the uncertainty of LaLiga's finish
The duel at Anoeta showed well the uncertainty of the finish of LaLiga 2025/2026. The official LaLiga table after the action in the 37th round showed that the European places and the fight for survival were still connected by a tight arrangement of clubs in the middle and lower part of the standings. Although the leading positions were more clearly defined, a large number of teams entered the very end with very small point differences. In such a context, Valencia's victory in San Sebastián was not only an attractive result, but also an important shift in the final standings.
According to official LaLiga data, Barcelona remained at the top of the standings, and among the clubs in the fight for European places, Real Betis and Celta Vigo stood out. At the same time, Girona, Mallorca and Real Oviedo were in the relegation zone, which further emphasized the pressure on the clubs located immediately above the danger area. With this victory, Valencia made a big step toward a calmer end to the season, while Real Sociedad remained in the group of clubs separated by small margins, although its season performance also had an additional dimension because of success in the cup competition.
Seven goals, three major scoreline turns and the decisive goal in stoppage time made the match one of the most memorable in the closing stages of the round. Real Sociedad had moments in which it looked like the winner, Valencia twice had to chase a deficit, and the final blow belonged to the visitors. In a sporting sense, the match showed how important the ability to react after conceding a goal is in the penultimate round. Valencia showed that ability twice and therefore took from Anoeta a victory that will be remembered as one of the most dramatic moments of its season.
What follows in the final round
According to the schedule published on Valencia's official website and LaLiga previews, Valencia will host Barcelona at Mestalla in the final round, while Real Sociedad will visit Espanyol. Both matches carry different kinds of pressure. Valencia will try in front of its fans to confirm the rise from the final part of the season against the first-placed team of the championship, while Real Sociedad will seek a reaction after a home defeat in a match it had in its hands.
For Valencia, the finale against Barcelona will be an opportunity for the victory from San Sebastián to be turned into a strong final impression of the entire season. The team showed character at Anoeta, but also weaknesses that cannot be ignored, especially in the period after the start of the second half when Real Sociedad quickly turned the result around. For Real Sociedad, the final round brings the need for a more stable defensive performance and an attempt to conclude the league part of the season without an additional fall in the table. After a seven-goal match, both teams enter the final weekend with clear messages: Valencia with confirmation that it can win even in the most chaotic duels, and Real Sociedad with a warning that even a good attacking evening is not enough if the closing stages are not played with concentration.
Sources:
- LaLiga – official match report of Real Sociedad - Valencia CF, scorers, goal minutes, stadium, spectators and match flow (link)
- LaLiga – official LaLiga EA Sports 2025/2026 table after the 37th round and standings context (link)
- Valencia CF – official club website with the match result, final-round schedule and table status after the match (link)
- El País – live text coverage and summary of the Real Sociedad - Valencia 3:4 match with a description of the comebacks and closing stages (link)