Ochieng nets his first goal in Spanish La Liga
Harambee Stars forward Job Ochieng, playing for Real Sociedad.
Harambee Stars winger Job Ochieng enjoyed a dream night in Spain after scoring his maiden La Liga goal and setting up two more to inspire Real Sociedad to a 3-2 away win over Elche on Monday night.
The 23-year-old Kenyan, a product of Real Sociedad's Youth Team Academy, was handed just his second start for the first team by head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo this season following his eye-catching cameo off the bench against Real Madrid last weekend.
He repaid his coach's faith emphatically, being directly involved in all three goals and walking away with the official Man-of-the-Match award.
Ochieng needed only 11 minutes to open his account. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box from Spanish midfielder Carlos Soler, the Kenyan winger showed great technique and composure to unleash a powerful volley from a very tight angle.
The effort flew into the roof of the net past a helpless Matias Dituro, giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead and marking a historic moment for the Harambee Stars forward.
But the youngster was far from done. Full of confidence after his opener, he continued to torment the Elche backline with his pace and pressing. His hard work paid off again in the 31st minute for Sociedad's second.
It came from a moment of pressure. Elche defender Pedro Bigas and goalkeeper Dituro suffered a complete miscommunication while trying to play out from the back. Ochieng anticipated the mistake, nipped in to win possession inside the box, and unselfishly squared the ball for teammate Yangel Herrera, who had the simple task of tapping into an empty net to double the advantage.
At 2-0 up at the break, Real Sociedad looked in total control and on course for a comfortable away win. However, the complexion of the match changed early in the second half.
Defender Jon Martin was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a last-man challenge, leaving Sociedad to play the remainder of the game with 10 men. Elche immediately sensed an opportunity and pushed forward.
Their pressure paid in the 67th minute when French midfielder Thomas Lemar pulled one back with a neat finish to make. Seven minutes later Elche pulled level when substitute Fernando Nino latched onto a cross from Tete Morente to score, sending the home fans into raptures.
Just when it looked like Sociedad had thrown away two points, Ochieng emerged as the hero once more.
The Kenyan picked up the ball on the counter, drove forward, and slipped a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Luka Sucic.
The Croatian midfielder made no mistake, curling a superb first-time finish beyond Dituro to seal a thrilling 3-2 win for the visitors.
It was a fairytale night for Ochieng, whose rise through the Real Sociedad B team has been closely monitored by Kenyan fans. His performance will no doubt excite Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy ahead of Kenya’s future qualifiers.
The result lifts Real Sociedad to ninth place in the LaLiga standings with seven points.
