Harambee Stars midfielder Job Ochieng made history on Saturday night by making his La Liga debut for Spanish club Real Sociedad.
Ochieng came off the bench in the 64th minute, replacing Goncalo Guedes, during a 3-1 win over Elche at the Reale Arena.
The match started cautiously, with both sides jockeying for midfield control. Elche had the first real chance in the ninth minute, but Alex Remiro made a stunning one-handed save to keep Sociedad’s goal intact.
Real Sociedad broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Luca Sucic converted a low strike on his second attempt. Elche immediately appealed for a penalty following a foul on German Valera, but the referee dismissed the claim.
Moments later, Sociedad doubled their lead after a poor back pass left Elche goalkeeper Inaki Pena stranded. Mikel Oyarzabal slotted into the empty net, giving the home side a comfortable advantage. Andre Silva pulled one back for Elche before halftime, but Sociedad remained firmly in control.
The second half saw chances at both ends, and in the 64th minute, Ochieng’ was brought on, becoming the third Kenyan to feature in Spain’s top flight, joining McDonald Mariga and Michael Olunga.
In the dying minutes, Orri Oskarsson added a third goal for Sociedad, sealing a 3-1 victory. For Elche, it was their sixth league game without a win and continued their struggles away from home.
Ochieng’s debut now puts him alongside Mariga, who played over ten matches for Sociedad during his 2011/2012 loan from Inter Milan, and Olunga, who famously scored a hat-trick for Girona against Las Palmas in 2017.
