Sergio Gómez strikes twice as Real Sociedad demolish Lillestrøm 6-0 to equal European record

Real Sociedad produced their joint-biggest away win in European history on Thursday, thrashing Lillestrøm 6-0 at Åråsen Stadion to claim their first Europa League league-phase victory of the season. Left-back Sergio Gómez scored twice and Luka Sučić added a brace as Óscar Matarazzo’s side finally found their form after a difficult start to the campaign.

The result matched a 6-0 win at Vardar on matchday three in 2017 — a scoreline UEFA described at the time as the biggest away victory in Europa League history. Real Sociedad had entered the fixture with just one point from their opening two games, having lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth and drawn 1-1 away to Union SG.

Lillestrøm pressed hard in the opening minutes, but the game turned decisively within the first half-hour. Mikel Oyarzabal’s creativity unlocked the hosts, and Gómez struck in the 25th and 27th minutes — the first with his left foot, the second a delicate right-footed finish past goalkeeper Dahlberg. Sučić added a third in the 33rd minute to put the tie beyond doubt before the break.

The hosts had a chance to claw one back when Thomas Lehne Olsen missed a penalty in the 50th minute. Real Sociedad punished them further: Orri Steinn Óskarsson made it four in the 64th minute from a Gonçalo Guedes assist, Sučić scored his second in the 72nd, and Arsen Zakharyan completed the rout in the 80th minute from Benat Turrientes’s pass.

The underlying numbers suggest a tighter contest than the scoreline implies. Expected goals finished 2.29 for Lillestrøm against 2.46 for Real Sociedad, and the hosts registered 14 shots to the visitors’ 16. The decisive difference was accuracy: Real Sociedad put eight shots on target; Lillestrøm managed just two.

Gómez, who opened his European account in the defeat to Bournemouth, is now Real Sociedad’s top scorer in this season’s competition. The data provider rated him 9.04 for the performance, narrowly ahead of Sučić on 9.02. That a left-back leads the club’s Europa League scoring charts underlines how broadly the goals were distributed across the squad.

For Lillestrøm, the defeat deepens a difficult start to the league phase. They had already lost 2-1 at home to Torreense and drawn 1-1 at Sparta Praha in their first two fixtures.

Real Sociedad return to La Liga against Levante at Anoeta on Sunday 26 October before hosting Lyon in their next Europa League fixture. Later in the league phase they travel to Crystal Palace on 26 November, host Torreense on 10 December, and conclude away to Juventus on 28 January 2027.