Harambee Stars winger Job Ochieng announced himself on the Spanish stage on Monday night, scoring his debut goal in La Liga and setting up two more to inspire 10-man Real Sociedad to a dramatic 3-2 away victory against Elche at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
The 23-year-old Kenyan international put in a Player of the Match performance, making history as only the second Kenyan to score in Spain’s top flight, joining Michael Olunga who accomplished the feat for Girona in 2018.
After a corner kick was initially cleared, Carlos Soler chipped the ball back into the box. An unmarked Ochieng struck a powerful right-footed volley straight into the roof of the net to give Real Sociedad an early lead.
Ochieng dispossessed Elche captain Pedro Bigas on the right flank and squared a precise pass to Yangel Herrera, extending the visitors’ advantage to 2-0.
With Elche fighting back to equalize 2-2 against a 10-man Sociedad team, Ochieng unlocked the defense late in stoppage time, threading a pass to Luka Sučić, who buried the winning strike to seal all three points.
The victory ended Real Sociedad’s eight-game winless streak on the road in La Liga. The display comes at a perfect time for Ochieng, who was recently named in Kenya’s provisional Harambee Stars squad for upcoming AFCON qualifiers.
