Eibar deserved to have won after fine display against Real Sociedad
The encounter, held to raise funds for Kilometroak 2016, ended in a 1-1 stalemate
SD Eibar put in a strong performance last night at the Agorrosin stadium, where the Armeros were denied what would have been a deserved victory by an 87th-minute equaliser.
The all-La Liga clash was played in Bergara as a part of the Kilometroak 2016 celebrations, an annual event held to raise funds for Basque language schools in Gipuzkoa, which this year is being hosted by the town.
After La Real dominated the early stages, José Luis Mendilibar's charges began to dictate proceedings and went on to control the rest of the game.
In the opening 45 minutes, Eibar barely fashioned any chances, but a flood of second-half changes for both teams saw the Armeros fully impose themselves on the game after the break.
The first Eibar chance came the way of Rubén Peña on 47 minutes but he dragged his effort narrowly wide. It didn't however take long for Mendilibar's men to get their noses in front. With 52 minutes on the clock, Peña was again involved, picking up a loose ball just inside the area, and whilst his initial effort was blocked by a Sociedad defender, when the rebound came back to the Avila-born winger he unleashed a side-footed effort which crept just inside the post to open his Eibar account.
The Armeros continued to dominate and managed to thwart La Real's attacking threat. In the Eibar ranks, Bebé was a constant menace down the left flank and proved to be a real source of danger.
Eibar enjoyed the better of the chances, but with three minutes remaining and with the San Sebastian outfit's only clear-cut chance of the second half, David Concha pounced on a loose ball in the area to rifle home the equaliser and round off the scoring for the night.
In what was their best display of the pre-season campaign, Eibar certainly deserved to have won the game. With nine days remaining until the start of the La Liga season, the Armeros' performance showed a noticeable improvement with respect to previous games.
Goals: 0-1: 52', Rubén Peña. 1-1: 87', David Concha.
Line-ups:
Real Sociedad: Bardaji, Mikel González, Illarramendi, Bergara, Bautista, Xabi Prieto, Elustodo, Zurutuza, Oyarzabal, Berchiche and Zaldúa. The following players also featured: Toño Ramírez, Carlos Martínez, Juanmi, Granero, Carlos Vela, William José, Rubén Pardo, Héctor Hernández, Raúl Navas and David Concha.
SD Eibar: Asier Riesgo; Calavera, Ramis, Gálvez, Luna; Escalante, Christian Rivera, Pedro León, Amorrortu, Etxaburu; and Sergi Enrich. In the second half the team lined up as follows: Yoel; Capa, Lejeune, Dos Santos, Juncà; Dani García, Elgezabal; Inui, Adrián, Bebé; and Rubén Peña