Aubameyang stars as Super Dépor make winning La Liga return

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had already established himself as the standout performer before scoring Deportivo A Coruña’s decisive goal on Saturday evening. The opportunity came from an unintended midfield pass by Villarreal substitute Ilias Akhomach, which had been aimed at Sergi Cardona. After providing two assists across the opening 89 minutes, the 37-year-old sprinted through the opposition half and calmly beat Luiz Júnior to seal a 3-2 victory.

Aubameyang had demonstrated similar speed against Valencia a week earlier, leaving the defenders behind before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper. In the previous match, he opened the scoring after confidently rounding Málaga keeper Alfonso Herrero. His first appearance back in La Liga had also produced a goal against Elche, as he controlled Lorenzo Amatucci’s diagonal delivery before finishing superbly. By finding the net in his first four Deportivo appearances, he set a club record and surpassed Bebeto’s three-game scoring run from 1992.

Deportivo, much like Aubameyang, appear to have rediscovered their old energy. Known as “Super Dépor”, the club became one of Spain’s most admired teams around the beginning of the century. Bebeto helped them lift the Copa del Rey in 1995, while players such as Djalminha and Roy Makaay later inspired the team to its first league championship in 2000. Another Copa del Rey followed in 2002, along with a Champions League semi-final appearance in 2004. Financial difficulties eventually contributed to top-flight relegations in 2011, 2013 and 2018. This summer marked their return after eight years away.

Former Arsenal forward Lucas Pérez began a fourth spell with the club and helped Deportivo escape the third division two seasons ago. Aubameyang is now pursuing the team record of scoring in seven successive league fixtures, a mark shared by Pérez and Bebeto from separate periods. Another ex-Arsenal attacker, Nicolas Pépé, gave Villarreal the lead at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Saturday. Meanwhile, new coach Iñigo Pérez remains without a win since departing Rayo Vallecano.

At the beginning of the week, Pérez had expected to face a considerably different Deportivo side. By matchday, however, the squad had been strengthened by deadline-day loan signings José María Giménez from Atlético Madrid and Marc Casadó from Barcelona. Giménez played a central role in Deportivo’s first equaliser, advancing from defence and sending Aubameyang into the penalty area. The striker used the outside of his boot to deliver a cross that Luismi Cruz converted first time.

Securing Giménez and Casadó, who have each won La Liga twice, represents a major success for Deportivo. Their arrival completed an ambitious transfer window in which the club spent €26m (£22.3m) on reinforcements. Only Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético and Real Betis invested more.

Since Galician bank Abanca became Deportivo’s majority shareholder in 2020, investment in the club has been accompanied by efforts to eliminate its debt. That takeover occurred when Dépor dropped into the third tier during the Covid pandemic. Abanca currently controls 99.99% of the club, although supporters continue to influence its identity. During the summer, they voted to replace “La Coruña” in the team’s name with the Galician form, “A Coruña”.

Spending across every department has produced visible improvements. Casadó was impressed by the facilities when he toured the training complex alongside Giménez. Speaking on camera with a straight face, he claimed they were superior to Barcelona’s and insisted that he was serious.

Adama Traoré also joined on a free transfer after speaking with Aubameyang, his former Barcelona teammate. Antonio Hidalgo, who led Deportivo back to La Liga during his first campaign in charge, introduced Traoré from the bench as a wing-back on Saturday. When Gerard Moreno crossed towards Tajon Buchanan at the far post, Traoré hurried back but accidentally sent a looping header beyond his own goalkeeper, handing Villarreal a 76th-minute lead.

The large number of new arrivals has raised questions about the future of the players responsible for winning promotion. Many expected Aubameyang to take the place of powerful forward Bil Nsongo, yet the two attackers, separated by 16 years, are instead developing an imposing partnership. Deportivo first identified Nsongo while he represented Canon Youandé in Cameroon. Although the club initially chose not to renew his deal after one season with the reserve side, he was determined to stay after making A Coruña his home and eventually changed their minds. Academy director Ismael Arilla explained that the player had shown a strong desire to remain.

Deportivo’s second leveller was scored by another forward, Zakaria Eddahchouri. His 18 months in A Coruña have included an important role in the promotion campaign and an unusual accident last year, when he fell over the waterfront edge while taking a selfie. Fire crews rescued the Dutch striker from the rocks, and he remained in hospital overnight with minor injuries. Having scored 12 second-tier goals last season, he opened his top-flight account by driving a near-post finish past Júnior following a precisely weighted pass from Aubameyang.

Aubameyang’s influence since completing a €1.5m move from Marseille is difficult to overstate. Beyond his goals, he has brought ambition and a clear desire to guide the squad’s younger members. After the experienced striker produced the late winner, Hidalgo praised his natural ability, commitment in training and positive effect on those around him. The coach also highlighted Aubameyang’s contagious smile, while his trademark front-flip celebrations have provided another memorable feature.

Hidalgo described the triumph over opponents preparing to begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday as an extraordinary result. It lifted unbeaten Deportivo into the top five, but the former Sabadell, Sevilla B and Huesca manager refused to draw early conclusions. In his view, only the standings on the final day offer a meaningful judgment, while the current table is merely something to observe.

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La Liga results

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La Liga results

Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid, Athletic 3-0 Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano 3-2 Racing Santander, Villarreal 2-3 Deportivo A Coruña, Valencia 0-5 Barcelona, Alavés 5-2 Osasuna, Málaga 0-0 Levante, Espanyol 1-1 Sevilla

Key talking points

José Mourinho responded to his first loss since returning as Real Madrid manager by sarcastically praising Real Betis for seeking a draw before enjoying a fortunate victory. Troy Parrott, who received his senior debut from Mourinho at Tottenham, registered his first Betis goal in Friday’s 1-0 success at La Cartuja. Mourinho could only watch as VAR ruled out Carlos Espí’s spectacular equaliser for offside, before Álvaro Valles stopped Kylian Mbappé’s added-time penalty. Barcelona then thrashed Valencia 5-0 on Sunday to increase their advantage over Madrid to three points.

Alavés sit between Barcelona and Madrid after winning three of their opening four matches. Former Real Madrid striker Mariano Díaz, who remained without a club for more than a year before signing in 2025, scored his third goal in four appearances during Sunday’s 5-2 defeat of Osasuna. Lucas Boyé nevertheless took centre stage with a hat-trick, including a remarkable strike from approximately 35 yards. The Argentinian forward later said the decision to shoot had been instinctive.

Fellow Argentina forward Julián Álvarez is experiencing a far more difficult period. Atlético were already trailing Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on Saturday when he entered to whistles from the visiting fans. Nico Williams and Robert Navarro struck within three minutes of each other after half-time, before Oihan Sancet added a third goal late in the contest. Diego Simeone declined to discuss Álvarez’s absence from the substitutes’ post-match recovery session.