Málagavs
Real SociedadReal Sociedad came to La Rosaleda and settled the argument early. Takefusa Kubo put them ahead in the 3rd minute — assisted by Héctor Fort — and from that point Málaga were chasing a game they never quite caught.
Our pre-match read had Real Sociedad as the favorite at 45%, and they left no room for doubt about it.
The First Half: Sociedad in Control
Kubo's opener was barely time to find your seat. Málaga tried to push back, but Real Sociedad doubled their lead in the 26th minute through Orri Óskarsson, and the hosts went into halftime down two with a lot of work to do. The possession numbers told the story of the half — 54.6% for the visitors, 587 passes to Málaga's 478 — though Málaga's 17 shots across the full match suggest they were at least willing to fight.
A Brief Flicker, Then the Floodgates
Málaga came out of the break with something to say. Adrián Niño pulled one back in the 54th minute, finishing off a pass from Pablo Martínez, and La Rosaleda found its voice. For a few minutes it felt like a match again.
It wasn't. Mikel Oyarzabal killed that hope in the 59th minute, converting a Kubo assist to restore the two-goal cushion. Then came the strangest three-minute stretch of the afternoon: Pablo Martínez scored for Málaga in the 66th minute to make it 3-2, and before anyone could fully process it, Oyarzabal had his second — the 67th minute, Jon Martín with the assist — and Real Sociedad were suddenly up by two again.
¡Ala gran púchica! One minute it's a game, the next it's over.
Gonçalo Guedes added the fifth in the 73rd minute and that was that. Five goals for Sociedad, two yellow cards picked up along the way — Jon Martín in the 37th and Mamadou Sarr in the 62nd — and no real threat of a collapse.
What It Means
For Real Sociedad, this is the kind of performance that settles a dressing room. They came in off a loss, their form reading DDWWL, and responded with their most convincing result of the run. Kubo was the engine — a goal and an assist — and Oyarzabal's brace gave him the goals his recent form had been missing. El chispudo de Kubo, threading passes and finding pockets all afternoon, was the difference between a competitive away win and a statement one.
For Málaga, the form line of DDLLD now has another loss attached to it, and the manner of this one will sting. They had 17 shots, kept 45% of the ball, and still conceded five. Pablo Martínez at least leaves with a goal and an assist to his name, which is something. But defensively this was a rough afternoon, and the question now is whether they can tighten things up before the schedule gets any less forgiving.
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