Real Sociedad let two leads slip and still win it in stoppage time at Mestalla

Real Sociedad beat Valencia 2-3 at Mestalla on Sunday in a match that swung twice before it was settled in stoppage time. Luka Sucic put the visitors ahead in the first half, Aaron Mayol equalised for Valencia, Carlos Soler restored Real Sociedad's lead from the penalty spot, Luken Beitia turned the ball into his own net to level it again, and Ander Barrenetxea won it for Real Sociedad in the first minute of added time.

Goal timeline

Valencia had chased the game twice and looked to have salvaged a point when Beitia's own goal made it 2-2 with six minutes of normal time left. Instead, Real Sociedad — introducing Barrenetxea from the bench — found a winner in the first minute of stoppage time.

Bottom of the table against a side finding its feet

The result drops Valencia to 19th and into the relegation zone on four points from seven matches, having now lost five of their seven matches and conceded 13 goals in the process. It is their fourth defeat in their last five league matches, with their only win in that stretch a narrow 1-0 at Alavés the week before. Real Sociedad, by contrast, move up to eighth with the win, a result that follows a 0-3 defeat to Atlético Madrid on matchday 5.

Line-ups

Valencia lined up in a 4-4-2: Stole Dimitrievski in goal, José Gayà, Pablo Maffeo, Pepelu and Justin de Haas in defence, Aaron Mayol, Filip Ugrinic, Arnaut Danjuma and Guido Rodríguez in midfield, and Hugo Duro alongside Javi Guerra up front. Real Sociedad also set up in a 4-4-2: Álex Remiro, Jon Martín, Sergio Gómez, Luken Beitia and Jon Aramburu across the back, Gonçalo Guedes, Carlos Soler, Job Ochieng and Jon Gorrotxategi in midfield, and Mikel Oyarzabal partnering Luka Sucic in attack — with Ander Barrenetxea's introduction off the bench proving decisive.

What's next

Valencia will need a response quickly to climb out of the bottom three, while Real Sociedad take a rare come-from-behind win — twice over — into a fixture list that finally looks kinder than the one they have just come through.