Real Sociedad stormed to its biggest win of the season when it overwhelmed Espanyol 5-0 in the Spanish league Monday. Mexico forward Carlos Vela stunned Espanyol's defense when he hit a long pass for Brazilian striker Jonathas to open the scoring in the fifth minute and then hit the back of the net himself for Sociedad's second two minutes later. Sociedad came out strong in the second half and 18-year-old attacking midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal proved a thorn for Espanyol's defense when he played a one-two with Ruben Pardo before netting the third in the 52nd minute. "We learned from our errors against Sporting Gijon," said Sociedad coach Eusebio Sacristan, referring to his club's 5-1 away loss in round 21. "Now we're really concentrated and we have to continue working hard and improving. This was an important victory." Diego Reyes headed Sociedad's fourth three minutes later and Jonathas added a fifth in the 89th. Sociedad rise to 11th in the standings on 27 points, five clear of Espanyol in 17th. Scotland confirms Italy, France friendlies Scotland will play Italy and France in friendly matches ahead of the 2016 European Championship, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) confirmed Tuesday. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced Monday that Euro 2016 host France will play Scotland in Metz on June 6 as part of its preparations for the tournament, which begins six days later. The SFA said that Scotland would also tackle Italy at Malta's Ta' Qali National Stadium on May 29 during a training camp in the country. "It is imperative we are ready for the start of the World Cup qualifiers in September," Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said in a statement on the SFA website. "While we would rather be playing France or Italy in the European Championships, we must prepare properly against two top-class teams who will be highly motivated ahead of the Finals." Scotland, which failed to qualify for Euro 2016, is also due to play friendlies against the Czech Republic and Denmark in late March. It opens its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign away to Malta on Sept. 4.
