Real Sociedad’s European Aspirations Hit Hard by Goalless Stalemate with Athletic Club

Real Sociedad faced a significant setback in their pursuit of European qualification, managing only a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao in a hard-fought Basque derby at the Reale Arena, which marked their fourth consecutive match without a win in LaLiga.

Athletic arrived for the clash following a disappointing defeat in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-finals, and the first half reflected a lack of intensity, yielding minimal scoring opportunities, with just a single shot on target from both sides.

This solitary effort was a header from Martín Zubimendi, which failed to challenge goalkeeper Unai Simón. Mikel Oyarzabal and Sergio Gómez both fired wide from promising positions, leaving Sociedad frustrated as they searched for the breakthrough.

The only chance for Bilbao came from Gorka Guruzeta, whose shot was well blocked. This was consistent with their previous matches, where they had gone scoreless at half-time in nine of their away games this season.

Both goalkeepers were called upon early in the second half, with Takefusa Kubo’s shot pushed away by Simón, while Álex Berenguer’s long-range attempt was caught safely by Álex Remiro.

Shortly after the hour mark, Simón was again called into action, this time to deflect a header from Brais Méndez away from danger following a corner.

Méndez was soon substituted for Luka Sučić, who had a golden opportunity to find the back of the net late in the match. One-on-one with Simón, his weak shot lacked the necessary conviction to trouble the keeper.

Despite dominating large stretches of the game, Sociedad had to settle for a single point, leaving them outside the European qualification spots, although they maintained their impressive home unbeaten streak against Athletic, extending it to eight matches.

Athletic have now managed just one win in their last seven away league encounters but remain well-positioned to secure a top-four finish and a coveted place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), even as they face an exit from the UEL at the hands of Manchester United.

Check out a summary of the match here