Europa League | Rijeka 0-Real Sociedad 1: 'Bautistuta' gives victory to Real in discount

Jon Bautista, in injury time, gave Real Sociedad the first three points in the group stage of the Europa League. The Renteria striker came out on the final stretch to score the winning goal of the Donostia team at Stadion Rujevika against Rijeka in 92. Agonizing victory for a San Sebastian team that, after struggling in the first half, was already much superior after the break and monopolized all dangerous actions. The goal of the Renteria striker is worth its weight in gold, because with the defeat of Napoli in San Paolo against AZ Alkmaar, group F is thrown into the air and he changes his drawing for the remainder of this first phase, and it really is it. Imanol Alguacil bet everything on a card in the final stretch playing with two forwards, and his bet went well with a man-goal from Zubieta, and that in summer he decided to stay and not go out on loan to seek his opportunity. In Croatia he found it, showing that if there is something Bautista has, it is an innate ability to find finishing positions, where the ball will land. And there it is usually infallible. It was in the lower categories. And it was in Croatia, a scenario that you will not forget in your life.

Real Sociedad started the game unimpressed by the debut in Europe, trying to keep his identity, against a rival with great physical power who tried to deactivate the game of Imanol Alguacil. With a somewhat more direct game, to avoid the high and intense pressure of Rijeka, the San Sebastian needed all their technical quality to overcome their rival's lines. And while, the Croatian team did not need much elaboration to mount their attacks, with what it was difficult for the Real to generate dangerous occasions.

Rijeka had very clear ideas. He played well folding back, jumping with intensity to the individual pressure of the attacking players of the Real and penalizing his passing errors with electric and fast starts that always ended up generating doubts and uncertainty for the txuri-urdin defense. The Royal was in command of operations, but the Rijeka's transitions were pure poison. They did not complicate life. Vertical passes at the speed of Kulenovic and Andrijasevic that always ended in danger. Luckily Remiro was right in the first actions and that Loncar had a misaligned aim in the first half. Because if not, things would have been very complicated.

But curiously, the Real also had its dangerous actions. Because it came quite clearly to a three-quarter line, and there he found Portu, Oyarzabal and Silva on several occasions. But his shots were diverted. Le Normand was the closest to the goal on a shot to the crossbar. The game scenario was not entirely good for Real, but it changed radically in the second half. Rijeka gave up the attack and Real monopolized possession of the ball. But he lacked clarity in the final meters, because the Croats were very withdrawn. Little by little the occasions came. First Portu deviated, then Oyarzabal to the post, Willian José in the lead, Merino at the hands of Nevistic, and in the end they say that the one who follows her gets it. And the Real followed her until injury time, and the play of the match appeared. Zubimendi from the inside to Silva, the canary to Merino and the Navarrese pass death to Bautista, who disguised himself as Batistuta to smell the hole where the ball was going to fall and shoot Rijeka's goal with his left. A goal that is worth gold. Three points to debut in a big way in Europe.