San Sebastian (Spain), May 2 (IANS) Spanish football club Real Sociedad assured themselves of staying in La Liga with a 3-0 triumph over Levante here.
Real’s first win in seven matches also featured the club’s first goal on a free-kick in five years. The relatively few fans, who took advantage of the May Day holiday to catch a game at Anoeta stadium, were rewarded by seeing Real’s best performance in months, reports Efe.
Ambitious from the start, Real Sociedad nearly took the lead in the opening minutes with a strike from Carlos Vela, but the goal was denied because the ball went out of bounds prior to reaching the net.
The home side didn’t have to wait long as Alfred Finnbogason scored in the 13th minute to make it 1-0.
Real seemed to slow down after the goal, allowing Levante to make cautious offensive forays and entertain hopes of equalising in the second half. Those hopes were dashed in the 51st minute as Markel Bergara headed in Ruben Pardo’s corner for the crucial second goal.
The visitors got a pair of chances in the last 20 minutes but Jose Mari’s strike from a distance hit the crossbar and Real defender Zaldua turned aside Toño’s shot (75th minute).
Fans were already filing out of the stadium when Carlos Vela converted on a brilliant free kick (86th) to round off the scoring.
Real Sociedad, with 43 points after 35 matches, move ahead of Rayo Vallecano into 12th place. Levante remains 15th, six points above the relegation zone with three matches left to play.