- Harambee Stars midfielder Job Ochieng’ makes historic La Liga debut, becoming only the third Kenyan to play in the Spanish top flight.
- Ochieng’ came off the bench in the 64th minute to replace Goncalo Guedes during a 3-1 victory over Elche at the Reale Arena.
- Michael Olunga and McDonald Mariga are the other Kenyan to play in La Liga.
Harambee Stars midfielder Job Ochieng’ etched his name into Kenyan football history on Saturday night as he made his La Liga debut for Spanish side Real Sociedad.
Ochieng’ came off the bench in the 64th minute to replace Goncalo Guedes during a 3-1 victory over Elche at the Reale Arena.
The match, which marked Real Sociedad’s seventh consecutive unbeaten league outing (W4 D3) began at a cautious pace with both teams testing midfield control.
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The first notable chance fell to Elche in the ninth minute when Alex Remiro produced a spectacular one-handed save from Andre Silva, keeping the hosts’ clean sheet intact early on.
Real Sociedad’s breakthrough came against the run of play in the 23rd minute, when Luca Sucic bent home a low strike at his second attempt.
Elche tried to respond immediately with a penalty appeal for a foul on German Valera, but the claim was waved away.
The second goal followed moments later after a poor back pass left Inaki Pena, Elche’s goalkeeper, stranded. Mikel Oyarzabal calmly slotted into an empty net, giving Sociedad a comfortable lead. Despite a late first-half goal from Silva, Sociedad remained firmly in control.
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Harambee Stars midfielder Job Ochieng’ makes historic La Liga debut
The second half intensified with chances at both ends. Ochieng’ was introduced in the 64th minute, gaining valuable minutes in Spain’s top-flight and becoming the third Kenyan to feature in La Liga following into the footsteps of former Harambee Stars midfielder and current Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice president McDonald Mariga and Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga.
Orri Oskarsson capped the match in the dying minutes, redeeming an earlier missed chance by netting Sociedad’s third goal and sealing all three points for the Basque side. For Elche, the defeat marked their sixth without a win in La Liga and continued their struggles on the road.
For the Kenyan youngster Ochieng’, the debut is the culmination of a journey that began at Ligi Ndogo Academy in Kenya before progressing through Real Sociedad’s reserve setup.
His appearance in the top flight places him alongside Mariga, who made over ten appearances during his loan spell from Inter Milan in the 2011/2012 season, and Olunga, who famously scored a hat-trick for Girona against Las Palmas in 2017.