Real Valladolid enjoyed an excellent start backed up by the support of their fans and they didn’t waste time to put pressure on Real Sociedad’s backline.
Monchu thought he had scored the opening goal in the 11th minute only to see the goal being cancelled by the VAR following a previous foul, though that didn’t slow La Pucela down, and the hosts broke the deadlock shortly after through Leon.
The striker took advantage of a long pass from Monchu and coolly slotted the ball home past Alex Remiro to put the hosts in front.
The visitors attempted to turn things around, but the likes of Martin Zubimendi and David Silva were not sharp, causing the attackers to drift and wander around the box without creating too much danger.
Still, the Donostiarra side scored the equaliser in the final seconds of the first half through Takefusa Kubo, but the goal was ruled out due to a previous foul on the play.
Real Sociedad tried to tweak things in the second half but the strategy didn’t pan out, despite dominating the possession, they simply couldn’t create anything even remotely dangerous and failed to pose a threat to Jordi Masip.
Overall, the second half lacked the emotion of the opening 45 minutes and neither side offered too much in the final third, and Real Sociedad’s slow tempo and lack of ideas was alarming at times.
Real Sociedad struggled but thought they had equalised through Zubimendi in the 83rd minute, only to see their goal once again being ruled out by the VAR, and ultimately confirmed the defeat for the visitors.
There is no question they’ll need to deliver an improved effort in their upcoming Europa League clash against Omonia, but there’s no need to push the panic button after this was just their second defeat in their last 11 matches in all competitions.
As for Valladolid, they made it two wins a row for the first time this season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sergio Leon (Real Valladolid)
