The match of the 1/8 finals of the Spanish Cup between Real Sociedad and Osasuna turned out to be as dramatic as possible. The hosts managed to come back from a 0:2 score and then win in a penalty shootout. Russian legionnaire of the Basque club Arsen Zakharyan spent more than 65 minutes on the field, including extra time.

Arsen could become an anti-hero

For Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team, the home game with their neighbors from Pamplona was not easy. By the 17th minute, the guests had a two-goal advantage, and Sociedad had little success in attacking terms. They managed to turn the tide of the meeting in the second half, at the beginning of which Zakharyan appeared on the field.

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The 22-year-old Russian was one of the most active players on the field and was constantly looking for aggravation. In the 73rd minute, his precise cross almost led to Aramburu’s goal. Already with the score 1:2 in added time to the second half, Arsen had a great chance to save his team, but from an advantageous position he was unable to beat the opposing goalkeeper.

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Fortunately for Zakharyan and the entire Sociedad, in the very next attack the hosts managed to equalize the score and send the game into extra time. Otherwise, the team’s number 21 would have remembered the unused moment for a long time. At the same time, Arsen definitely cannot be called the main loser of the match. His partner and team leader Mikel Oyarzabal scored an own goal in the first half, and failed to convert a penalty in extra time.

Alas, Zakharyan also missed the penalty kick, but only in the post-match series. Arsene came up to the ball at the decisive moment with the score 4:3 and should have put an end to the game. As a result, the Russian shot as unsuccessfully as possible, loading the ball above the goal.

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But even here, luck smiled at him in the form of a miss by the Osasuna player in the next attempt. Real Sociedad moved on, but Zakharyan did not become the team’s gravedigger. Her quarter-final opponent will be known as a result of the draw.

Zakharyan has three goals in three years

For Zakharyan, this season is already his third in Spain, and so far the choice in his favor by the club from San Sebastian does not seem successful. At the same time, none of the coaches bullied Arsen, constantly supporting him publicly and giving him game practice. Under the leadership of Imanol Alguacil, he played a total of 44 matches – only Sandro Schwartz had more at Dynamo (47).

In the summer, the team was headed by Sergio Francisco, who also believed in Zakharyan. He often used him as a substitute in league matches, and also gave him a place in the starting line-up in the early cup stages. In a match with amateur Negreira at the end of October, Arsen scored his only goal of the season so far.

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At the end of December, due to weak results in La Liga, Francisco left his post, losing it to the Italian-American specialist Pellegrino Matarazzo, who had previously played and coached exclusively in Germany. The new coach immediately stopped talk of a possible rental or sale of Zakharyan, making it clear that this player is important to him. True, after his arrival, he released the Russian onto the field only in the 89th minute of the game with Atlético, and he spent the entire match with Getafe on the bench. This season, Zakharyan gets playing practice mainly in the Spanish Cup, as can be judged by the number of minutes in four matches of this tournament: 72, 45, 66, 65. In the Spanish Championship, over 19 rounds, he appeared in the starting lineup only once.

When Zakharyan moved to Spain in August 2023, he was predicted to almost have the career of Karpin and Mostovoy, but so far nothing hints at this. The first season was spent on adaptation, the second – on solving various health problems. Arsen’s current position is also far from being a team leader. At Dynamo, his statistics were at the level of a top player, taking into account his position – 19+25 in 89 matches. In three incomplete seasons at Sociedad (60 matches), he managed to score only three goals and the same number of assists. Over the past year, his transfer value has collapsed from 18 to 7.5 million euros.

The status of his club has also changed greatly since his arrival. In 2023, Zakharyan moved to one of the strongest Spanish teams, a participant in the Champions League. Now Real Sociedad is the middle peasant of La Liga, which is only four points away from the relegation zone. In such a situation, the Russian should think about changing the club, because things are clearly not going well for him at the moment.

Watch live broadcasts of the championship and Spanish Cup matches on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER TV channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.