Espanyol vs Real Sociedad. Spanish La Liga.
Cornella - El PratAttendance17,849.
Friday 10 February 2017 22:43, UK
Asier Illarramendi scored a stunning winner as Real Sociedad moved above Atletico Madrid into fourth place in La Liga on Friday night with a 2-1 victory at Espanyol.
Carlos Vela opened the scoring for the visitors in the 26th minute, controlling a fine pass from David Zurutuza and neatly slotting a left-footed finish past Diego Lopez.
The lead was short-lived, with Hernan Perez cutting inside to evade defenders Yuri Berchiche and Inigo Martinez before coolly side-footing home.
But Illarramendi restored Sociedad's advantage just after the hour mark with a brilliant solo goal. Having picked up possession level with the centre-circle, he advanced and unleashed a wonderful curling effort which left Lopez flat-footed.
The result lifted Sociedad into the top four at the expense of Atletico, who host Celta Vigo on Sunday evening live on Sky Sports. Espanyol stayed eighth.