Real Sociedad scored five away from home and still spent long spells needing another goal. That was the story of their 5-2 win over Malaga at La Rosaleda on the ninth matchday of La Liga. Mikel Oyarzabal's brace gave the scoreline its edge, and Gonçalo Guedes finished the job from the bench after coming on in the 61st minute.

This was the kind of game where Sociedad's front line did the heavy lifting. Málaga kept finding ways back into it, but the visitors had more punch, starting with Takefusa Kubo's 3rd-minute opener after an individual run and a deflected finish.

Oyarzabal and Guedes made the difference

Kubo's early goal gave Sociedad the start they wanted, and they had a second before the break, although reports differ on whether it came in the 25th or 26th minute. Either way, the bigger point was that the visitors had enough attacking quality to keep restoring control whenever Málaga threatened to turn the afternoon into a scrap.

That fell mainly to Oyarzabal. He scored in the 59th minute and again in the 67th to complete a brace, taking his league total to 2 goals from 9 appearances. Those are modest season numbers overall, which is why this stood out as a timely, high-value contribution rather than routine output.

Guedes added the final touch. He replaced Orri Steinn Óskarsson in the 61st minute and scored Sociedad's fifth in the 73rd. It was his second league goal in 8 appearances, and it suited the shape of the match, a substitute arriving with enough freshness to punish a stretched opponent.

Estadio Deportivo summed it up neatly. Its match report said: "A very superior Real Sociedad imposed its finishing power against Málaga and took a deserved victory from La Rosaleda, extinguishing any attempt at a local insurrection with Oyarzabal's calm." The quote was translated from Spanish.

The scoreline was emphatic, the game was not

The 5-2 result looks straightforward on paper, but Sociedad made it harder than it needed to be. They led 2-0, then allowed Málaga back to 2-1. After Oyarzabal's first made it 3-1, the home side responded again through Pablo Martínez, who scored in the 66th minute after a loose ball from a corner.

That is why the attacking side of Sociedad's display matters more than any claim of control. They won because they had the better finishers and more ways to hurt Málaga once spaces opened up.

Pellegrino Matarazzo, quoted in Spanish by Estadio Deportivo, said: "When Málaga were threatening to make a game of it, Pellegrino Matarazzo's team once again showed that it has resources to punish any imbalance." That felt close to the truth of the afternoon. Sociedad were dangerous whenever the game became loose, and Málaga could not live with that often enough.

The broader league context gives the win some weight too. Sociedad are sixth with 13 points from 8 matches, while Málaga are 20th with 4 points from 8. Sociedad have scored 12 league goals so far, and five of them arrived in Malaga vs Real Sociedad, a reminder that their attack can cover for a lot when it clicks.

A side pushing for the European places will not want every away game to unfold like this, but Sociedad will take the three points and the evidence of real firepower. At La Rosaleda, Oyarzabal's brace and Guedes' late finish were the decisive details.

FAQ

Why was Mikel Oyarzabal so important in Real Sociedad's win over Málaga?

Oyarzabal scored twice, in the 59th and 67th minutes, and his brace arrived in the moments when Málaga were still in the game. Real Sociedad had already seen their lead trimmed, so his finishing gave them the control they had struggled to keep.

Did Gonçalo Guedes start against Málaga for Real Sociedad?

No. Guedes came on in the 61st minute and scored Real Sociedad's fifth goal in the 73rd minute. His contribution was a bench impact, not a start, and it helped finish off a match that had stayed open longer than Sociedad would have liked.

How did Real Sociedad beat Málaga 5-2 if the game was still close?

Real Sociedad were the better attacking side, but they also let Málaga back into it. They led 2-0, then saw the score move to 2-1 and later 3-2 before pulling away again. Oyarzabal's brace and Guedes' late goal settled a match that never felt fully secure.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →