Real Sociedad 2-1 Espanyol: Oyarzabal's double assist inspires first win (full highlights)

A much-needed first victory for Real Sociedad. The Basque side defeated Espanyol 2-1 at the Reale Arena in front of 31,884 fans, finally getting their season off the mark. Mikel Oyarzabal was the orchestrator, providing two assists in a performance that showcased his class. The captain found Ander Barrenetxea on 4 minutes, and the winger finished coolly into the far corner. Espanyol, who had impressed in their first two games, hit back just before the break through Roberto Fernández — his third goal in as many matches. The striker met Javi Hernández's pinpoint cross with a first-time finish to make it 1-1 at half-time. The second half was a different story. Oyarzabal drove into the box on 61 minutes and teed up Orri Óskarsson, the Icelandic forward who joined this summer, for a simple tap-in. That proved to be the winner. There was late drama when manager Imanol Alguacil was sent off in stoppage time for protesting. Arsenal's loanee Arsen Zakharyan was named on the bench but didn't feature, while Zenit's Vanya Drkušić played the full 90 minutes for the visitors. The stats tell the story of Real's dominance: 17 shots, 10 on target, 51% possession. Espanyol managed just 10 attempts. With this win, La Real climb to 10th, while Espanyol stay 7th with 4 points. Can they build on this momentum when they face Getafe next week?