Martinez salvages Sociedad point

Carlos Martinez's stoppage-time header salvaged a point for Real Sociedad in a 1-1 draw against Getafe at Anoeta.

Carlos Martinez's stoppage-time header salvaged a point for Real Sociedad as they stretched their unbeaten run to five Primera Division games with a 1-1 draw against Getafe at Anoeta. In what had been a pretty turgid encounter for the most part, the game suddenly came to life in the final few minutes when Angel Lafita looked to have set the visitors on course for a fourth consecutive win by nodding home from Jaime Gavilan's cross on 87 minutes. However, Sociedad responded immediately and Martinez got up above everyone at the back post to convert Alberto de la Bella's cross to register his first goal of the season. That goal cost Getafe the chance to move into fourth for at least a few hours, but they retained fifth spot and their two-point advantage over Sociedad, who moved up to eighth. It had been hoped that with both sides in such good form they could produce an entertaining spectacle, but rather than that they cancelled each other out for large spells as Getafe seemed content to settle for a point from the off. Gonzalo Castro forced the first decent save of the match from Miguel Angel Moya on 34 minutes before Abdel Barrada brought an equally good stop out of Claudio Bravo with a drive from the edge of the area moments later. Diego Ifran should have opened the scoring two minutes after half-time when he created space for himself beautifully inside the area, but somehow managed to skew his shot well wide of the target. Lafita was next to threaten, striking the bar from five yards out after latching onto Juan Valera's knockdown from a corner. But the former Real Zaragoza man was more clinical when presented with another opportunity three minutes from time. He timed his run into the box to perfection to meet Gavilan's floated ball in and power a header low past Bravo. However, the visitors could not hold out for another valuable three points as a routine ball from De la Bella to the back post caught the Getafe defence cold and Martinez got enough power on his header to take it past Moya and into the roof of the net.