Scoring at San Mamés was special and I want to do it again

Real Sociedad midfielder Beñat Turrientes recalls scoring at San Mamés in last season's Copa del Rey semi-final ahead of Sunday's Basque derby against Athletic Club.

Beñat Turrientes spoke to the Real Sociedad squad at their Zubieta training ground ahead of the Basque derby at Athletic Club on Sunday at 21:00. The midfielder, who has not been an automatic starter this season but remains key to manager Pellegrino Matarazzo's plans, reflected on his goal at San Mamés in last season's Copa del Rey semi-final.

"Scoring a goal at San Mamés to win in a Copa semi-final was a brutal moment for me, for my family and my friends, very special," Turrientes said. "I have it forever. It's very beautiful and hopefully I can do it again." He emphasised Real Sociedad's strong form heading into the match: "When we're in good momentum and the team plays so well, you go into matches differently. It will be complicated, it's a derby at San Mamés. We're in good form and we'll go for the three points."

Turrientes recently ended a goal drought in La Liga by scoring against Levante and expressed confidence about his form. "I had the thorn of not having scored in the league. When a goal goes in, the rest come on their own," he said. He also acknowledged the internal competition in Real Sociedad's midfield, noting that rotation is necessary with European football: "We know the competition we have, we have great footballers in midfield. We're rotating a lot and everyone is responding well."