Real Sociedad left its calling card in Europe as a solid, modern, dynamic and fresh team, capable of anything, with a prestigious victory in Lisbon. Fifth in the League (7 points behind co-leaders Real Madrid and Girona), the San Sebastian group needed a stage and a rival with pedigree to demonstrate its dimension as a rival to take into account in the Champions League. With their 0-1 in Da Luz, they lead group D (by goal difference) with 7 points like Inter, and their place in the round of 16 is very much on track.
Aware that they could do something big and leave a rival behind, against a Benfica at the bottom of Group D, with two defeats, the Basques came out without complexes. They dominated the first minutes of the game, but Benfica gave the serious warning with a goal disallowed for Musa due to Rafa Silva’s offside at the start of the race in which he served a cross to the Croatian (m. 12).
The virtual scoreboard of disallowed goals was balanced when the French referee Trupin disallowed a beautiful header from Brais Méndez, also due to offside, from a Merino center (m. 29).
To the points, due to blows on the rival’s chin, Real would have deserved more than Benfica in the first half, with better play and ambition, and with 7 scoring chances compared to 5 for the Lisbon team. Barrenetxea had the clearest shot with a good shot from outside the area that grazed the post before the break.
The San Sebastian team also claimed two penalties in less than a minute at the hands of the local defenders in a cross from Traoré and a shot from Kubo. The referee found it involuntary.
In the second half, Real Sociedad pressed the accelerator and drove Benfica into their field. Zubimendi enjoyed the best chance, with the first shot on goal of the match, when he hit a powerful left foot shot on the run that sent Trubin flying (m. 57).
The txuri-urdin team grew bigger at times, warning again through Kubo, who sent out (m. 60). It was the precursor to the 0-1, in a magnificent play on the left wing by Barrenetxea with a precise pass in the heart of the area to Brais Méndez, who only had to turn his foot and touch the ball lightly (m. 63).
Real attacked Da Luz with an insulting superiority, and was on the verge of upsetting Benfica three minutes later with a shot by Take Kubo hitting the crossbar.
Remiro earned his moment of glory by avoiding a 1-1 lead with a great dive from a dangerous shot by Fredrik Aursnes with 3 minutes remaining in the 90th.
