Job Ochieng Turns from Hero to Villain as He Gives Away Penalty in Real Sociedad’s Big Loss

Harambee Stars winger Job Ochieng spent the last six days receiving praise but ended the week on a sour note when his handball led to a big loss for his club Real Sociedad.

Ochieng, who had scored and provided an assist as Sociedad beat Elche last Monday, started on the bench as La Real hosted Atletico Madrid on Sunday night.

All seemed well until late when Ochieng, who had come on as a 71st minute substitute, was penalised for a handball as Atletico Madrid snatched a dramatic 3-0 victory with all three goals coming in the final minutes of a hard-fought La Liga contest.

After a tense stalemate that lasted for most of the match, the floodgates opened in the 84th minute. Alejandro Grimaldo broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after Ochieng was penalized for a handball inside the area.

It was a contentious penalty which Sociedad and their coach Pellegrino Matarazzo contested but it had a bearing on the outcome of the match as Grimaldo turned provider shortly after, launching a swift counter-attack that Canadian striker Jonathan David coolly finished in the 90th minute to score his first goal for the club.

The victory was emphatically sealed deep into stoppage time when Giuliano Simeone, son of manager Diego Simeone, embarked on a solo run from midfield and found the net in the 95th minute.

The win marks a crucial turnaround for Atletico, who had previously suffered back-to-back losses against Athletic Club in the league and Liverpool in the Champions League. It also highlights their late-game prowess, with five of their league goals this season coming in the final 15 minutes of play.

With this result from matchday five, Atletico climbed to fourth place in the La Liga table with 10 points, leaving Real Sociedad to reflect on a match that slipped away in the closing stages with Pellegrino’s side down in 12th place with seven points.