Matarazzo admits Real Sociedad were 'on the handbrake' but fumes over Oyarzabal red card call
Pellegrino Matarazzo pulls no punches after Real Sociedad's 3-3 draw with Oviedo — poor first hour, set-piece chaos, and a VAR controversy to boot.
Real Sociedad’s head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo cut a frustrated figure after his side threw away a lead to draw 3-3 with Real Oviedo, admitting the performance was well below the standard he expects — but refusing to let the referee off the hook either.
A slow start that cost them dearly
La Real were woeful for the opening hour and found themselves two goals down as a result. Matarazzo was refreshingly honest about it — no excuses, no spin. The team came out flat, played too many backwards passes, lacked vertical movement, and failed to make the kind of runs in behind that usually give opponents nightmares.
In his own words, they played with “the handbrake on” — and when you do that in La Liga, you get punished.
The positive, if you can call it that, is that the team showed some proper bottle to claw it back and turn it around. That fighting spirit is something. But then…
Three set-piece goals. Three. Mate.
This is where Matarazzo’s frustration really boiled over. Real Sociedad conceded three goals from set plays — and he knows full well they’ve been working on exactly this in training. The third goal in particular, the one that nicked Oviedo a point at 3-3, was described as “difficult to digest.”
- Conceding from corners and rehearsed routines is a recurring problem
- Long balls to Viñas also caused serious bother — the striker was winning headers and progressing too easily
- Defensively, it was a shambles in those specific moments
When you’re shipping three goals from dead-ball situations, that’s not bad luck — that’s a structural issue that needs sorting sharpish.
The VAR row over Oyarzabal
Matarazzo wasn’t done. He had a pop at the officiating too, though he was measured about it rather than going full meltdown. He reckoned a challenge on Mikel Oyarzabal should have been a straight red card — and was baffled that VAR didn’t intervene. He acknowledged the referee had an otherwise decent game, but felt that one moment could have completely changed the tie.
It’s one of those situations where you can see his point. If Oyarzabal gets that protection and Oviedo go down to ten men, the whole complexion of the match shifts.
Óskarsson: the super-sub doing the business
One proper bright spot — Óskarsson came off the bench and bagged a brace. Again. The lad is becoming something of a cult figure in this role, and Matarazzo is clearly buzzing about him:
- His impact off the bench has been immense
- He creates more space for Oyarzabal when he’s on the pitch
- Matarazzo reckons he’s close to being fit enough to start
When a player scores twice as a substitute and the manager is still debating whether to start him, you know the squad depth is decent — even if the collective performance on the day was a bit of a dog’s dinner.
The bigger picture
Matarazzo remains optimistic — he said as much — and believes this group will rediscover their best form. But dropping points at home to Oviedo, especially after leading, is the sort of result that stings. Midfield control was non-existent in the first hour, and until they fix the set-piece vulnerability, they’ll keep leaving points on the table.
There’s talent in this squad. They just need to start showing it from the first whistle.