Real Sociedad survive late Elche fightback to win with 10 men

Real Sociedad held on to claim a dramatic victory over Elche after being reduced to 10 players during a six-goal, fourth-round La Liga contest on Monday.

The visitors made the stronger start at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero and established a two-goal advantage by the 31st minute. Job Ochieng opened the scoring before Yangel Herrera added a second, putting Real Sociedad in control of the match.

However, their position became more difficult in the 64th minute when Jon Martin was shown a red card. Real Sociedad were forced to play the remainder of the game with 10 men, giving Elche the opportunity to turn sustained pressure into a comeback.

The home side took advantage three minutes later. Toma Lemar moved Elche to within one goal after receiving a pass from Victor Chust, setting up a tense final period.

Elche continued to push for an equaliser and eventually drew level through Fer Nino, whose accurate finish completed the recovery. With Real Sociedad down to 10 players, the momentum appeared to be firmly with the hosts.

Yet the San Sebastian side produced the decisive moment in stoppage time. Luka Sucic scored the winning goal to secure all three points for Real Sociedad and complete a victory that had looked increasingly unlikely after Martin’s dismissal.

The result concluded the fourth round of the Primera Division, with Monday’s meeting providing a dramatic finish to the latest round of fixtures. Real Sociedad had appeared to be heading towards a comfortable win after their impressive first-half display, but Elche’s response transformed the contest after the interval.

Elche’s fightback was built around Lemar’s goal in the 67th minute and the subsequent equaliser from Fer Nino. Real Sociedad were unable to protect their advantage in normal time, but they recovered at the crucial moment to take victory from the closing stages.

The winning goal from Sucic meant the visitors left with the points despite spending more than half an hour a player short. Their numerical disadvantage followed Jon Martin’s red card in the 64th minute, which came shortly before Elche began its decisive push.

Russian midfielder Arsen Zakharyan did not take part in the match. He remained on the substitutes’ bench for the entire game.

For Elche, the match represented a missed opportunity after recovering from a two-goal deficit and levelling the score against a side playing with 10 men. Real Sociedad, meanwhile, secured the result through a late intervention from Sucic, ending a highly eventful encounter with a narrow win.