Nerea Eizagirre battles for a ball against two Chelsea players. Image: Real Sociedad.
Real Sociedad fall in the Champions League but will play in the Europa Cup
The Basque club fell 0-1 to Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League qualifier, with the goal coming from Keira Walsh. The defeat follows the 2-5 loss in the first leg, although the home side will compete in the UEFA Women's Europa Cup, becoming the first Spanish team to do so. Gorka Álvarez debuted on the bench.
02 SEP 2026
Real Sociedad gave it everything, but fell short of pulling off an upset and qualifying for the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase. The match, which marked Gorka Álvarez's debut in the dugout for the Basque side, once again showcased the team's competitiveness in front of the 1,750 fans packed into the stands at Zubieta. The hosts started the brighter, but Beever-Jones had the game's first clear chance, only for Claudia Florentino to make a towering challenge to cut out the danger. Lauren James also tried her luck with an effort that drifted wide. The hosts responded through Ava Seelenfreund, but Hampton safely gathered the ball. The English goalkeeper also dealt well with a dangerous cross from Ainhoa Marín. Despite the persistence of the *txuri-urdin* side, the deadlock remained unbroken at the break. After the interval, Chelsea stepped up a gear, but Julia Arrula pulled off a spectacular save to deny Beever-Jones.
However, the pressure finally told just nine minutes into the second half when the visitors broke the deadlock from a well-worked set-piece routine. Following a corner, the ball fell to Keira Walsh, who made no mistake with a strike from outside the area to open the scoring. The goal prompted a response from the home side, with Nerea Eizagirre coming off the bench in search of an equaliser. Ainhoa Marín tried her luck with a shot that was kept out by the English goalkeeper, while Claudia Florentino came close to drawing level, her header flashing just wide by a matter of centimetres. Gorka Álvarez's side pushed hard in the closing stages, with the coach bringing on Maren Lezeta with seven minutes remaining—marking her return to competitive action after recovering from a serious injury. Although Real Sociedad fought until the end, they were unable to secure a positive result, though they will now compete in the UEFA Women's Europa Cup, Europe's second-tier competition, becoming the first Spanish team to feature in it.