Job Ochieng makes European debut with Real Sociedad at Den Dreef

Job Ochieng, a Real Sociedad winger, made his European debut at Den Dreef after not getting minutes in the continent opener against Bournemouth. Following that start on the bench, Pellegrino Matarazzo changed his role and handed him a spot in the right wing for a night that was memorable for the player but bittersweet for the team.

Union Saint-Gilloise went with a back three and very high lines, pressing aggressively, a setup that seemed tailor-made for Ochieng’s pace. But in the first half, Real struggled to get past the opening pressure line and the Kenyan forward was largely disconnected from the attack, forced into heavy running and defensive help.

A tough first half

To make it worse, Havenaar was in top form, shutting down Ochieng’s drives and winning most of their individual duels.

In the second half, Ochieng came alive: he asked for the ball more, offered support, and even produced a strong run near the byline that ended with an assist to Sucic, whose shot went over. Still, he couldn’t be decisive before being replaced in the 79th minute by Pablo Marín. As Mundo Deportivo noted, Real should have got more from the occasion despite the big turnout.