Getafe 1-2 Real Sociedad
Coming into the match with no strikers and centre-backs, Getafe’s Friday night clash with Real Sociedad was always going to look like a tricky affair for Los Azulones. On top of that, a Real Sociedad side that was just two points above the relegation zone looked rejuvenated under new manager Pellegrino Matarazzo in a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on his debut.
Predictably, a tough starter was on the menu for La Real, with Getafe usually on the straight. It was Mario Martin’s header from Kiko Femenia’s cross that brought the crowd’s first reaction early on, however, as the home side found confidence in the underdogs in the early stages. As La Real looked for an opening, they began to look bogged down in Getafe’s defence.
Just when Jose Bordalas might have been allowing himself some satisfaction with their solid performance, Brais Mendez latched on to a through ball in front of the box and fired his shot past David Soria. Txuri-Urdin had not had a clear chance up until that point, but Brais’ opened the scoring as frustration began to build among the away team.
A low shot into the crowd from Juan Iglesias ensured Alex Remiro was called into action before the break, in a five-shot half between the two sides.
A game of cat and mouse
The second half started with a different cat-and-mouse mentality, as Getafe did their best to hold the field together without revealing themselves. Winning the ball up top, Goncalo Guedes put his effort wide from the edge of the box, before Mikel Oyarzabal headed home the best chance of the game. The under-pressure Diego Rico looked to be out of trouble, but Oyarzabal was waiting to get back at Soria – alone, his effort went wide of the post. The Real Sociedad captain looked aggrieved afterwards, and failed to finish off another clear chance which was ruled offside moments later.
The next to make holes was Takefusa Kubo, who started diving in the box, but Ander Barrenetxea could not do his job well after Femenia blocked a shot that was bent over the goal. A response from Getafe began, however, with Juanmi meeting a dangerous ball inside the six-yard box, with Mauro Arambarri heading in Alex Sancris’ superb cross.
Neither side looked comfortable going into the final 15 minutes. La Real were letting Getafe into third place with ease, but acres of space opened up in front of them, if they could beat Los Azulones’ first team. Turns out it’s not that simple. Both efforts to strengthen reputation were hampered by a succession of games in the middle of the field, but the game was inspired by Getafe to damage the pursuit of the equalizing goal.
🤳 How we cried, Jonmi. ¡Just have fun! pic.twitter.com/xahyvIaJ9I
– Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad) January 9, 2026
As happened last week, Getafe equalized without warning. A long ball forward was not dealt with by La Real, and Juanmi, who had been conspicuous by his absence up to that point, appeared to magically slot the ball past the tumbling Remiro. Unlike their equalizer in Vallecas however, Getafe left time on the clock.
Stoppage time saw Kubo come to life again, gearing, driving and diving between defenders. The only way they could do it was to bring him down, and after many pieces, one final corner was left for Getafe to defend. Entered by Kubo, Soria came and missed, but Jon Aramburu didn’t, nodding into the empty net, and drowning the Coliseum in the eerie glee of the Real Sociedad bench.
With so much talk about Getafe’s lack of resources in formation, Bordalas’ warnings that an abundance of grit and patience require more quality for results to begin to look more informed. The final whistle was met with chants of ‘board, clear’ from the home support. For Matarazzo, it was a stunning first win as manager in Spain. All in all, they created enough clear-cut chances for all three points, but you’ll find it very easy to talk about what Real Sociedad could improve on in terms of game management without feeling like his team left Getafe behind too.
