Carlos Vela had a penalty saved but made up for any frustration Real Sociedad fans felt toward him by assisting the his side's final two goals Saturday in a 3-2 win over Valencia.
An hour into the match, Sociedad had a 2-1 lead and Vela looked to extend it when he stepped up to the spot after winning a penalty kick for suffering a foul in the box. But his effort went right at Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves, who made the stop. The Brazilian goalkeeper now has stopped 20 of the 43 spot kicks he's faced in La Liga.
It was the Mexican forward who would have the last laugh, though. After he set up Willian Jose in the first half for a 2-0 lead, he helped see the game off with a stoppage-time assist. Vela wriggled free down the right with a one-two and served up an excellent pass with the outside of his left boot for Juanmi. The forward finished with his first touch to extend Sociedad's lead to 3-1.
Valencia hit back before the final whistle, but Sociedad held on for a bounce-back victory after being dismantled 5-1 by Deportivo La Coruna on Monday.
Real Sociedad now moves to fourth in the table and extends its home unbeaten streak to seven matches.
