Leganés let us dream at the Butarque till the final whistle (2-3)

C.D. Leganés could not advance past the final 16 of the Copa del Rey after they were defeated at the Butarque by Real Sociedad (2-3) in a closely contested matchup. Juan Muñoz produced a brace in the second half to bring the score level with less than half an hour to go, but Oyarzabal's penalty conversion confirmed cup progression for the donostiarras.

Isak and Oyarzabal scored for Real Sociedad in the first half

The team fielded by Mehdi Nafti for the start of the cup tie contained many adjusments from the last XI that opened LaLiga SmartBank 2022 in Valladolid, with Unai Bustinza and Xavi Quintillà the only players who also saw kick off in the Zorrilla. Randjelovic led the first Leganés attack in the 4’, but the first division donostiarras went ahead in the 8' as Isak broke on a counter to beat Iván Villar.

Bautista came close to levelling in the 10’, but Iván Villar was soon called back into action to deny Isak with an atheltic one-handed parry. The keeper also was quick to block  ex-United man Januzaj's shot in the 15’, before Juan Muñoz, breaking Lega out from under the realista coash in the 26’, won a free kick in the opposition's half, but it was taken without success. Then, in the 40’ Villar smothered another Isak move to double the lead on the stroke of half time. Unfortunately, by the 43’ Oyarzabal took his opportunity to beat the defense and finish the second for the visitors that night. The half time whistle blew at 0-2.

Juan Muñoz's brace kept the dream going

Mehdi Nafti made his first changes as the first hour of football ticked over, bringing on Rubén Pardo and José Arnaiz to replace Doukouré and Bautista. It was in the 60’ that Leganés would cut the deficit: a perfectly weighted cross from Randjelovic on the right floated the ball into the box for Juan Muñoz to head beyond Ryan and make it 1-2. Just after, Nafti refreshed the squad with academy graduates Cissé and Naim for Eraso and Randjelovic. Bustinza also got up to offer a header to Pardo's cross in the 65’ but his efforts went unrewarded.

Sergio, in the 68’, also threatened Ryan aerially off a corner, with the blanquiazul XI finally beating the ex-Brighton netminder in the 70’ when Juan Muñoz took Cissé's pass on the edge of the box to drive the ball into the low corner. It was heartbreaking when two miuntes after, Mateu Lahoz waved for a penalty in Real Sociedad's favour for a challenge on Oyarzabal, who himself stepped up to score and restore the visitors' lead.

Oyarzabal's penalty sealed the result against a unrelenting Leganés side

Pardo, in the 76’, demanded a leaping save from Ryan, but other than Sabin Merino's last ditch 92' effort on goal, not even Garcés's substitution for Juan Muñoz could reignite the pepinero attack.

Leganés kept the Copa del Rey dream alive at the Butarque right until the final whistle, despite a second equaliser never coming and the goodbye to the tournament for the rest of the competition. Their next fixture comes this Saturday at 21:00 (CET) at the Butarque Real Sociedad ‘B’.