Valencia snatched a 4-3 victory over Real Sociedad when Javi Guerra drilled a left-footed shot from the centre of the box in stoppage time, completing a late turnaround that erased Real Sociedad’s lead.
Guido Rodríguez had hauled Valencia level with a header in added time, setting the stage for Guerra’s winner; the match finished after eight minutes of added time and ended in dramatic fashion with Valencia scoring twice late to overturn a 3-2 deficit.
The scoreline — 4-3 — and the timing underline how the closing stages decided a match that had swung back and forth. Real Sociedad had been in front at one point, but Valencia’s late surge produced the decisive moments: an equaliser from Rodríguez and the left-footed strike from Guerra that settled the contest.
Before kick-off, Real Sociedad sat eighth in La Liga with 45 points and Valencia occupied 11th place with 11 wins, 10 draws and 15 defeats. Those numbers framed the clash: Real Sociedad arrived with one win in their previous five matches in all competitions, while Valencia had been steadier, coming into the game with two wins, two draws and one defeat in their last five.
The match cut against recent patterns. The reverse fixture in August had finished 1-1, and in their last five head-to-head meetings Real Sociedad had won three, Valencia one and one ended in a draw. Real’s recent cup success was also in the background — they had secured a Europa League spot for next season after winning the Copa del Rey final on penalties against Atletico Madrid — but that silverware did not translate into a composed display here.
Tension around injuries and squad availability added another layer. Álvaro Odriozola has been sidelined since February with a cruciate ligament injury and José Copete was ruled out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a meniscus injury in February. Valencia themselves arrived with fitness concerns: Renzo Saravia was forced off during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano with a potential injury, and both sides have carried knocks into the closing run of the campaign.
The late collapse will be the key headache for Real Sociedad. They led 3-2 before Valencia’s late revival, and the way two goals arrived in the added period — Rodríguez’s header to level and Guerra’s stoppage-time left-footed finish to win it — will invite questions about concentration and game management in those closing minutes. For Valencia, the result will feel like proof of resilience: the club had been steadier in recent games despite inconsistent form away from home.
What follows is immediate and clear: Real Sociedad must address a run that featured just one win in five across all competitions if they are to avoid similar defeats, while Valencia will take belief from a comeback that required scoring twice in stoppage time. The lasting image from this match will be Javi Guerra’s left-footed finish from the centre of the box — a single moment that decided a contest defined by late, dramatic turns.
