Real Sociedad defeated Lillestrøm 6-0 away in Norway on 22 October 2026 and equalled their largest winning margin in European club competitions. The benchmark is another 6-0 away victory, against North Macedonia’s Vardar on 19 October 2017. The club explicitly recognised the parallel: it concerns a six-goal margin in a single match, not a new or outright all-time Europa League record.
Both fixtures were played on matchday three of different UEFA Europa League editions: the 2026/27 league phase against Lillestrøm and the 2017/18 group stage against Vardar. This comparison is based on the final scores, goalscorers and documented goal timelines.
In what sense are the two 6-0 victories equal?
The 2026 result came at Åråsen Stadion, with Lillestrøm hosting, and gave Real Sociedad their first league-phase win of the edition. In 2017 the Spanish side were also away, in Skopje, where they beat Vardar in the group stage. Both matches finished 0-6, with Real Sociedad three goals ahead at half-time.
| Measure | Vardar vs Real Sociedad | Lillestrøm vs Real Sociedad |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 19 October 2017 | 22 October 2026 |
| Edition and stage | 2017/18 Europa League, group stage, matchday 3 | 2026/27 Europa League, league phase, matchday 3 |
| Home team’s country | North Macedonia (Skopje) | Norway (Åråsen Stadion) |
| Final score | 0-6 | 0-6 |
| Half-time score | 0-3 | 0-3 |
| Different Real Sociedad scorers | 3 | 4 |
The matched record is Real Sociedad’s single-match European winning margin, according to the club’s statement dated 22 October 2026 and UEFA’s record of the 2017 victory. It is not an aggregate score across two legs or a comparison of the goals scored over entire campaigns.
Who scored the six goals in 2026?
LaLiga’s match record lists the following scoring sequence against Lillestrøm:
- 25th minute: Sergio Gómez, 0-1.
- 27th minute: Sergio Gómez, 0-2.
- 33rd minute: Luka Sučić, 0-3.
- 64th minute: Orri Óskarsson, 0-4.
- 72nd minute: Luka Sučić, 0-5.
- 80th minute: Arsen Zakharyan, 0-6.
Sergio Gómez and Sučić scored twice each, while Óskarsson and Zakharyan added one apiece. The club credits Mikel Oyarzabal with assists for the first three goals. Its match report also says Unai Marrero saved a penalty after half-time and Lillestrøm struck the crossbar.
Timeline note: LaLiga records Óskarsson’s goal in the 64th minute, whereas Real Sociedad’s published report puts it in the 65th. The one-minute difference between records does not affect the scorer, final score or historical comparison.
How did Real Sociedad score six against Vardar in 2017?
Statbunker’s historical record provides this goal timeline for the match on 19 October 2017:
- 12th minute: Mikel Oyarzabal, 0-1.
- 34th minute: Willian José, 0-2.
- 42nd minute: Willian José, 0-3.
- 55th minute: Willian José, 0-4.
- 59th minute: Willian José, 0-5.
- 90th minute: Alberto de la Bella, 0-6.
Willian José scored four of the six goals in Skopje; Oyarzabal and De la Bella supplied the others. UEFA highlighted the striker’s four-goal haul at the time and described the 6-0 as the biggest away victory in Europa League history up to that date, as well as equalling the tournament’s widest winning margin at that point.
What does the comparison show, and where does the record stop?
The scoreline is identical, but the goals were spread differently. Three players scored in 2017, with Willian José accounting for four goals. Four players scored in 2026, including two with braces. Oyarzabal offers another documented contrast: he opened the scoring as a goalscorer in 2017 and assisted the first three goals in 2026, according to Real Sociedad.
The 2017/18 group stage must not be confused with the 2026/27 league phase. Nor does UEFA’s historical description from 2017 establish the competition-wide records as of October 2026. The supported conclusion after the 22 October match is that Real Sociedad matched their club-record European winning margin of six goals, in two away fixtures nine years apart.
Sources and references
- Real Sociedad, official report on the 6-0 victory at Lillestrøm (22 October 2026)
- Lillestrøm SK, official match record and final result (22 October 2026)
- LaLiga, match record and timeline for Lillestrøm vs Real Sociedad (22 October 2026)
- UEFA, report on records set against Vardar (19 October 2017)
- UEFA, historical match page for Vardar vs Real Sociedad (2017/18)
- Statbunker, Vardar vs Real Sociedad scoring timeline (19 October 2017)
