Real Sociedad finally found release in a derby that had everything — drama, rain, emotion, and a stoppage-time winner from local hero Jon Gorrotxategi. His scrappy strike in the 92nd minute sealed a 3–2 victory over Athletic Club in San Sebastián, giving La Real their first derby win in added time in the fixture’s long history.
The match embodied Basque football at its fiercest — passionate, physical, and deeply local. Of the 30 players involved, 22 were from the Basque Country, and 24 were academy graduates.
The game swung wildly. Ander Barrenetxea, injured and barely able to stand, returned to the pitch just long enough to assist Brais Méndez for the opener seconds later. Athletic equalised through Gorka Guruzeta, before Gonçalo Guedes restored Sociedad’s lead early in the second half. A chaotic goalmouth scramble saw Robert Navarro bundle in another equaliser for Athletic — against his former club — before Gorrotxategi’s late heroics decided it.
The 23-year-old full-back, making his first derby appearance, scuffed his first shot before blasting home the rebound “with all my soul,” as he put it afterward. The Reale Arena erupted, fireworks signaling to ships in the Bay of Biscay that La Real had scored.
After nine winless weeks earlier this season, this second straight league victory felt transformative. As local paper Noticias de Gipuzkoa wrote: “La Real are alive. They have soul. They love their people — and once in a while, they make them happy like this. Life can be wonderful.”
