Kluivert and Rayan rock Real Sociedad as Bournemouth win on European bow

The first goal that AFC Bournemouth ever scored in Europe could be heard out on the Bay of Biscay. The second sounded around San Sebastián soon after. A tradition from Real Sociedad’s old Atotxa ground, recovered at Anoeta in 2009, dictates that a single firework is set off every time the visitors score while two are lit when the home team do; that way those out to sea know the score. And so it was that at 21.41 on a Thursday night in September 2026, Justin Kluivert found the net and Juan Iturralde ran out into the street to let everyone what had happened.

Back in Dorset and high in Anoeta, they knew; they had waited their whole lives for this and it was a nice way to mark the history they made, announcing their arrival on the continent with a victory in the city where it all began for Andoni Iraola, the manager who brought them here.

Iturralde was forced to run into the night three times, once when Rayan made it 2-0 and once when Sergio Gómez made it 2-1, and he might have gone more, too. After a superb first half, Bournemouth had to hang on, sometimes desperately, in the second, Djordje Petrovic coming to their rescue with two astonishing saves from Orri Óskarsson in the final, dramatic minutes. But they had done it, the players collapsing at the final whistle. It had been some battle and they had given everything.

Bournemouth had waited 127 years for a first European game, which was long enough, and considerably less for their first goal. They had been playing 10 minutes 43 seconds and when it came they celebrated it twice. A lovely shift of the body from Evanilson started it, the Brazilian receiving and releasing Adrien Truffert, who was sprinting up the left. The cross was perfectly placed, bent behind the defensive line for Kluivert to score.

High in the north-east corner Bournemouth’s fans went up but down in the south-west corner the flag did too, momentarily pressing pause on their celebrations. It didn’t take the video assistant referee long to show that decision was wrong.

They got to do it all again nine minutes later when Truffert was on another run, and this time there was no doubt, Alex Scott’s glorious long, looped, curling ball dropping into just the right place for Rayan to head the second.

There was an ease about the way Scott had played that, an almost gentle turn of the ankle, the ball delivered as if by hand, and about the way he played. So smooth, amid the speed and intensity he glided. Around him, teammates were flying everywhere, Marcus Tavernier especially, and Real Sociedad could not keep up.

From dead balls, they were as dangerous: three times they threatened. Evanilson headed the first off the post, António Silva headed the second wide and Óskarsson just about headed away a third. Before the last of those, Jon Martín had to reach to stop a Tavernier delivery at the near post. Songs from the corner sung to a backdrop of frustrated whistles from the rest of Anoeta.

There was a certain relief when the half-time whistle followed and the lead had not been extended. There was also a reaction, an early second-half dash from Ander Barrenetxea signalling their intent and an increase in volume.

Petrovic had to fly to make a superb save from Beñat Turrientes by his left-hand post on 56 minutes and almost immediately after Real Sociedad pulled one back. Gómez’s curling cross bent all the way through, past the outstretched legs trying to get a touch and into the far corner.

Although Gonçalo Guedes’s effort soon after was wild and a long way off, this was a different game and a different place too, their version of Bad Moon Rising was interrupted by an “ huuy! ” when the Portuguese winger’s next effort came much, much closer. Petrovic pushed that past the post. This may have had a worryingly familiar feeling: already this season Bournemouth had led against Manchester City, Everton, Newcastle and Brentford without winning any of them.

All the more so when Gómez’s fantastic ball sent Guedes through on the left. As he reached the edge of the area, Guedes might have taken the shot on but instead came inside and was cut out. The loose ball fell to Oyarzabal whose subtle, clipped shot floated over Petrovic and on to the top of the net. Gómez, overlapping on the left, was becoming a problem for Bournemouth, and he was not alone.

A Luka Sucic shot flew just wide on 81 minutes, on 84 Gómez slipped Óskarsson in for what surely should have been the equaliser. Petrovic though saved that and, somehow, did so again when the Iceland striker had another glorious chance in the very last minute just five yards out, the fireworks finally over on Bournemouth’s big night as a European journey that was once unimaginable began by the Bay of Biscay.