Villarreal defeated Real Sociedad 3-1 at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Friday to move into third place in the Spanish La Liga standings. A blistering first-half performance yielded three quick goals for the hosts. The result deals a heavy blow to the visitors’ hopes for top-five European qualification.
Gerard Moreno opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a near-post header. Georges Mikautadze doubled the advantage in the 15th minute by tapping in a rebound. Nicolas Pépé extended the lead to 3-0 in the 23rd minute, finishing a fast counter-attack with a deflected shot. Luka Sučić scored for Real Sociedad in the 47th minute. The visitors controlled second-half possession but failed to score again.
The win gives Villarreal 58 points. They leapfrog Atletico Madrid in the table ahead of Sunday’s Madrid derby. Real Sociedad remains stuck in seventh place.
The result secures Villarreal’s first seasonal league double over Real Sociedad since the 2016-17 campaign. Villarreal won the reverse fixture 3-2 in November 2025. Across 45 all-time La Liga meetings, Villarreal now holds 20 wins compared to 12 for Real Sociedad, with 13 matches ending in a draw.
The victory marks Villarreal’s 12th win in 15 home league games this season. Their only home defeats have come against Barcelona and Real Madrid. The consistent home form reinforces their standing in top-flight sports.