Eibar vs Real Sociedad

Starting the weekend’s fixtures late on Friday night was the Gipuzkoan derby. With Eibar failing to pick up any points in the first two weeks of the new season, the derby provided Los Armeros the chance to get a result amidst a consistently unpredictable game. Real Sociedad arrived after a disappointing encounter with Leganés in which they let slip a two-goal advantage to draw. Previously, this game often shows a more physical aspect of Spanish football as the Ipurua’s small pitch leaves little space, this game would be no exception. Making their LaLiga debuts were striker Marc Cardona for Eibar who would have probably made appearances in the previous games had it not been for a muscle fibre injury and Luca Sangalli for La Real who played on the right. With the game kicking off, it was Eibar who took the initiative with some neat passes and determination to win balls. In the 15th minute and against the run of play, Sociedad were able to clear their lines and break away. With Oyarzabal quickly approaching the area, Bigas attempted to make a last-ditch challenge but the winger was able to dispatch the ball to Willian José on the right. The striker was then brought down by the goalkeeper for a penalty. The Eibar goalkeeper appeared to deny a goalscoring opportunity but received only a yellow card. Willian José scored his penalty, clipping the inside of the right post before falling to the ground from a suspected hamstring injury. The player was replaced by Bautista. The physicality of the game continued as the towering Diop clashed heads with Zubeldia, fortunately both players were able to continue. It was clear as time progressed that Theo Hernández was growing into his role at the club, however, his defensive capability was called into question in the 26th minute when Marc Cardona equalised. With Eibar playing wide on the left, Hernández was dragged into the middle and could only desperately lunge from behind as Cardona tapped home a driven pass from left back Arbilla. High on confidence, Eibar increased the intensity of their play and found success with vertical passing. Eibar’s dominance appeared to make Sociedad desperate for a breakthrough illustrated by the likes of Hernández shooting from distance.

In the second half, Sangalli whipped in an excellent ball behind the back line and found Juanmi who caused Dmitrović to pull off a fabulous save. With Sociedad’s fullback’s attacking, Eibar found it relatively easy to pass in the final third’s wide areas; Peña in particular was causing frustration with his dangerous runs and physical play style. The game would soon descend into a scrappy fight for possession and end to end attacks. The pace of the game soon appeared to catch up with Cardona, who found himself substituted for Charles. A player Sociedad can seemingly always rely on is Illarramendi who was a calming influence with his intercepting of passes and driving the team forward. However, with a yellow card, he was substituted late in the game for Merquelanz making his first team debut. Minutes later, the young midfielder was stretchered off with a knee injury. Applauded by both sets of fans as he was carried off in tears, the player will be side-lined for some time. Garitano held his head in his palms as Sociedad who had used all three of their substitutions were forced to continue with 10 men. Eibar would put Sociedad’s bad day at the office to bed in the 91st minute. Jordán crossed the ball to Charles who connected with a diving header, flicking the ball towards the far post and past Rulli, creating jubilant celebrations throughout the small valley town. Despite Sociedad’s bad luck, it was clear that they didn’t do enough defensively and struggled to keep possession. With Barcelona next, along with the opening of their redesigned Anoeta, they need to find their feet and move the ball better. They will however, be pleased that Hernández is looking more like the player that we have seen at Real Madrid, covering a large amount of ground and posing an attacking threat. Eibar play Athlético Madrid in the capital next and should have confidence going into the game. Marc Cardona could well be the difference in scoring the much-needed goals for the club. After the win, Eibar fans will be pleased to see the three-points take the club to the middle of the table.

Deportivo Alavés vs Espanyol

On Sunday, Alavés hosted Espanyol who arrived in Vitoria-Gasteiz high on confidence after beating Valencia last week. Meanwhile, Alavés kept Betis to a goalless draw and would have entered this game hoping that their home advantage would give them the edge. In the first few minutes and after a scrappy fight for the ball in the box, Alavés scored. Manu García half-volleyed the ball home but the referee disallowed the goal for a rightly spotted handball by the player as he attempted to control the bounce of the ball. The rest of the first half was a quiet affair, with Espanyol dominating possession, Alavés tried to counter but never really threatened goal. Leo Baptistao did come close with a long-shot, but it was easily saved by Pacheco. The league’s use of VAR so far this season has gathered both criticism and praise but in the 42nd minute, a clear foul by Laguardia on David Lopez in the box was reviewed by VAR and subsequently a penalty was rightly awarded. Leo Baptistao stepped up and hit a confident penalty to the right. Just before the break, the pitch’s sprinklers emerged and set about spraying the field causing the fans to erupt in laughter as players and officials tried to stay dry. The sprinklers had been timed to emerge five minutes after the first half, with five minutes of added time they appeared with the game still in play. After the break, both teams entered the field with an increase in aggression; creating physical battles across the pitch. Soon after, Espanyol’s Sergio García had the ball in the net but for a second time in the game VAR ruled it out after Iglesias had been deemed to have obstructed Pacheco’s view. Last season, the game would have been put to bed by this goal, but now VAR is now beginning to show its effectiveness with officials and players getting acclimatised to its implementation. With relief in their minds, Alavés looked determined to make the best of their second chance. After a long, deep throw in by Mubarak, Roca failed to clear ball – instead heading the ball towards Bastón who easily nodded the ball into the net. With the home fans enthusiastically fuelling their team’s motivation, Alavés drove the ball forward down the right with Jony hitting a low cross into the box. With the crowd cheering the attacking play and aggression, they momentarily paused as Rubén Sobrino swung with his left to strike the ball home. The jubilant scenes in the stands continued through the second half and despite Espanyol having superior possession and the better chances they failed to find their goal. Alavés did well during the game to hold their ground and came back spirited after Espanyol’s disallowed second, the team look particularly strong defending set pieces. The fans will be pleased with their two goals and the team’s first win of the campaign. They play Valladolid next and will hope to ruin Ronaldo Nazario’s first game as the majority shareholder.

Osasuna vs Granada

Osasuna played Granada away from home on Sunday. After showing patience in their build-up during the first few minutes, Granada exploited space down the wing before passing the ball into the centre. Finding Adrián Ramos to the right of goal, the striker squeezed the ball past Rubén. A bad start from Osasuna certainly dented their confidence as Granada continued to easily penetrate down the right side. Soon, Ramos nearly had a second; a neat pass from Vadillo approached the striker lurking on the edge of the box. Lining up his steps, the Colombian curled the ball towards the top left, narrowly hitting over the bar. Osasuna looked unorganised defensively and with frustration came desperate challenges. Gifting Granada a freekick outside the box, Vadillo did well to dip the ball over the wall, targeting the bottom left of Osasuna’s goal. The attempt required a good save from Rubén, banging his head on the framework in the process. Osasuna had their chances but would often swipe at the ball desperately as they approached goal. After the break, the Pamplona club found more space between the lines, implementing a variety of attacking strategies. García struck a dipping shot from distance but found his effort pushed out of play. In the 62nd minute, Granada was awarded a penalty after García was judged to have brought down Vadillo. Vadillo took the penalty, hitting the ball high to the right and causing jubilation in the stands. Granada could have later had a third if not for a good save by Rubén to deny Quini. Disappointed by their two-nil defeat, Osasuna will need to improve their organisation at the back if they are to keep the dangerous players of Segunda at bay. Next up they play Almeria who have also started their campaign disappointingly.

Reyo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao

This match, due to take place on Saturday was postponed last week amid safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the stadium. Rayo have three options, they can turn their home games into away ties until work is complete, they can find another Madrid stadium to accommodate their season ticket holders or the team can play behind closed doors. Rayo are still yet to announce how they will deal with the circumstances. Their tie with Bilbao will be rescheduled for later in the season. On Saturday, in the absence of football, Vallecano fans protested the lack of intervention by the city’s council and the club in failing to assure that the stadium is fit for purpose. Bilbao fans also joined the protests in solidarity with their opponents. For the sake of the league and Vallecano’s fans, it is hoped that the stadium is deemed safe for occupation as soon as possible.

Player of the Week

Rubén Sobrino

Rubén Sobrino was a devilish figure at the forefront of Alavés’ attacks. He did an excellent job of dragging defenders out of position as well as playing unselfishly on several attacks. His physicality was important during set-pieces and he has a knack of being in the right place at the right time as we saw with his 59th minute goal to secure Alavés’ win. Getting in front of his man, he expertly used his left foot to volley the ball into the corner of the net causing ecstasy in the stands. The player has at times been inconsistent for Alavés but appears to be ready to step up and ensure his name is on the team sheet every week.