A first half goal from David Villa put Atlético’s noses in front before Koke doubled their lead in the second half, after which even a golazo from Xabi Prieto failed to influence to the final outcome.
It was the clash of the best of the rest in Spain. Third and fourth placed teams from last season’s La Liga went head to head in the Anoeta stadium. It’s an old cliché to say that the more excitement that surrounds a match, the more disappointing the match itself will be.
However, that was certainly not the case in this situation, as Real Sociedad and Atlético Madrid came together to put on an enjoyable game of football.
The hosts started off the brighter of the two sides, as just three minutes into the game, Antoine Griezmann fired a left-footed volley towards Thibaut Courtois, which bounced just wide of the post.
Not to be outdone, Atlético quickly imposed themselves on proceedings and within a few minutes had generated a whole host of opportunities for themselves, many of which David Villa was on the end of.
After missing two nearly identical chances, the Asturian striker netted his first league goal of the season, as he pounced on a poor clearance by Ion Ansotegi to put Atlético ahead. Claudio Bravo could only look at the ball looped over his head and into the back of the net.
Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela, who had scored twice for his side against Lyon in their Champions League qualifier during midweek, was kept relatively quiet for the entirety of the first half, popping up only to send a shot blazing over the crossbar.
Atleti’s dominance only intensified in the second half, as they were unyielding in their pursuit of the game’s second goal. Real Sociedad fought valiantly, but were sliced open by a lighting counter attack, which ended in Koke’s outstretched leg knocking in goal number two from a well executed cutback by Arda Turan.
Just as it looked like the home side were on the ropes, ready to be put away, captain Xabi Prieto lifted his team by firing a rocket of a shot into the top corner, which Thibaut Courtois could do absolutely nothing about.
La Real came close to equalizing when Griezmann sent a header in towards goal which Courtois plucked out of the air, after which Carlos Vela drew the wrath of the visiting side as he made a slight attempt to play the ball after it had already been held by the goalkeeper.
In the final minutes of the match, Thibaut Courtois proved invaluable to his side as he got down quickly to save from Esteban Granero, who was so very close to grabbing a point for the home team.
Next up for Real Sociedad is a trip to Levante, while Atlético come up against Almeria, who are making their return to the first division after a brief stint in La Segunda.