Real Sociedad B secured a 1-2 victory over Huesca at El Alcoraz, and with those three points, they have practically sealed their survival in Spain’s Segunda División. The txuri-urdin side showed great character after enduring eight consecutive games without a win, facing a direct rival in the relegation battle. Despite being reduced to ten men following Mikel Rodríguez’s red card when they were already leading 0-1, they managed to double their advantage through Ochieng. The hosts pulled one back deep into stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
Jon Ansotegi assessed his team’s performance, highlighting the significance of the win.
**Assessment of the match that almost guarantees survival**
“It’s a very positive evaluation. We knew it would be a tough game—experience, duels, second balls—and we were up against a great opponent. That’s exactly how it played out. Both sides had chances, but today our goalkeeper and defenders were sharper than on other days, and we found the back of the net. In these hard-fought matches with so many duels, crosses, and corners, the outcome is decided in the box. We were more clinical than Huesca, and that made the difference.”
**On the team’s character in such difficult circumstances**
“What we try to do is look beyond the result—we analyze the performance and what we’re doing. The best way to improve and keep growing is to focus on our own actions. We can’t think from the first minute that we have to win; we have to win the first duel, make good passes, and do many things right. Coming to Huesca, we knew we were in a bad run and that the players’ confidence might not be at its peak. But we tried not to overthink the result and instead concentrate on individual and collective performance. That approach worked, and we leave very happy.”
**On Mikel Rodríguez’s red card: Was it intense enough to warrant a straight red?**
“I won’t argue about whether it was a red or not. The referee saw it, showed the card, and what matters to us is that Mikel watches the incident, recognizes his reaction, and makes sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not the first time we’ve been reduced to ten men in a situation where we shouldn’t have been. We need to make Mikel understand that he cannot react like that. If you lose the ball and no foul is called, you get up and keep defending. We’ll talk to the player, show him that it can’t happen, and learn from it.”
**Did you expect such an open start to the game?**
“Your plan is one thing; what happens on the pitch is another. Our plan did not include Huesca having so many chances, but we were clear that we had to attack. A draw today wouldn’t have been bad for us, but we knew that to draw or even win, we had to go forward. What we couldn’t do—and we have never done that because it always ends badly—is sit back and not attack. Our plan was to attack and try to score more than the opponent, which is what we always aim to do. Huesca had their chances, we had ours; we were more accurate, and today fortune smiled on us.”
**Do you consider the team already saved?**
“We are not mathematically safe yet, but it’s a big step. We still need to confirm it mathematically, but this victory gives us a lot of confidence. We have to keep working, keep competing, and not relax. Getting closer to our objective is important, but we must finish the job.”