Real Sociedad were in such need of encouragement that the point they brought back from their trip to the Côte d’Azur was a blessing, despite having taken the lead and having had a few chances in the first half. But, in the end, Imanol’s men scraped together a draw in Nice, and thank goodness, because the home team had the chance to take the lead after Pacheco grabbed Dante which the referee didn’t see, but the VAR did. Remiro guessed Guessand’s shot and prevented a bigger problem.
1
Marcin Bulka, Dante, Moïse Bombito, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Tom Louchet (Tanguy Ndombélé, min. 67), Pablo Rosario, Jonathan Clauss, Melvin Bard, Evann Guessand, Youssoufa Moukoko (Victor Orakpo, min. 73) and Badredine Bouanani (Sofiane Diop , min. 67)
1
Álex Remiro, Jon Pacheco, Jon Martín, Aihen Muñoz (Javi López, min. 59), Igor Zubeldia, Álvaro Odriozola (Jon Aramburu, min. 59), Pablo Marín, Martín Zubimendi, Brais Méndez (Luka Sucic, min. 68) , Mikel Oyarzabal (Orri Óskarsson, min. 79) and Ander Barrenetxea (Sheraldo Becker, min. 59)
Goals
0-1 min. 17: Barrenetxea. 1-1 min. 44: Pablo Rosario
Referee Morten Krogh
Yellow cards
Martín Zubimendi (min. 19), Pablo Rosario (min. 25), Evann Guessand (min. 25), Álvaro Odriozola (min. 42), Jon Pacheco (min. 52)
The first half of Real’s Europa League debut was a mess. Both the San Sebastian team and Nice tried to play so happily that they ended up causing chaos on the pitch. Both teams attacked, but forgot to defend, as if that mission had nothing to do with them, so the French team reached Remiro’s area clearly, and Imanol’s men Bulka’s.
The first attack was for the French, but Moukoko shot too far across the goal to try to get past Remiro, who was blocking the gap. Then, in a persistent exchange of blows, Barrenetxea, the best player of his team in the first half, opened the way and left the ball behind for Marín to shoot, which Bulka stopped.
So it was a question of who would be more successful, and it was Real Madrid, after Rosario lost the ball in midfield, Brais drove it to the edge of the area, and there he had to choose between several options on the left and right. He sensed the shadow of Barrenetxea, who was coming from behind, and the ball reached him, placed by the San Sebastian winger close to the top corner.
But as the game continued, and even with the score in their favour, Real Madrid’s defence did not tighten up, and they gave up on digging in at the back. Nice continued to reach the opposition’s area while the Danish referee began to mess things up with absurd cards for both sides. Real Madrid were frightening on the counterattacks, such as the one led by Barrenetxea again, but Oyarzabal was slow to get his foot in and Clauss got ahead of him to clear the ball to the corner. But the Basque team could not close the defensive gaps, which condemned them to concede the equaliser at the end of the first half, in a weak clearance by Aihen that fell to Rosario. The Dutchman redeemed himself, with the cross shot that beat Remiro, for the error in Real’s goal. The weakness in an action in which the defence failed to get the ball out of the area in three consecutive actions, portrayed the team.
So in the second half, Imanol ordered the team to fold their sails and wait near the area, waiting for a counterattack that never came. What nobody expected did come, a penalty against Real, in a grab by Pacheco on Dante, too conspicuous for the VAR not to take into account and warn the referee. The Brazilian was ready to fall and lead to the penalty, in which Remiro became a hero by stopping Guessand’s shot.
Nice pressed harder after that fatal error for them, and Real suffered in several set pieces, but with Becker’s exit they ventilated the way the ball came out a bit to ease the congestion in their area and prevent the French from winning the match.
