Đorđe Petrovic made his home debut for Bournemouth by saving a penalty in a 0-0 draw with Spanish side Real Sociedad, ending the Cherries’ pre-season schedule.
The summer signing from Chelsea produced his key moment in first-half stoppage time. A long throw from the left was flicked on by Orri Oskarsson, striking Adrien Truffert’s arm and prompting the referee to award a penalty. Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored in the Euro 2024 final, stepped up but Petrovic dived low to his left to keep the game level.
Earlier in the day, Andoni Iraola’s team had faced Sociedad in a behind-closed-doors fixture at the club’s Performance Centre, which ended 1-1 with Evanilson on target for Bournemouth.
The afternoon game at Vitality Stadium saw home debuts for Adrien Truffert, Junior Kroupi and Petrovic. Bournemouth started well, with Alex Remiro in the Sociedad goal denying David Brooks and Ben Winterburn.
After Petrovic’s penalty save, Bournemouth almost took the lead in unusual fashion at the start of the second half. Remiro’s clearance hit Truffert on the head and rebounded off the post. Brooks and Marcus Tavernier both saw efforts saved before Antoine Semenyo fired over following a strong run.
Despite creating more clear chances after the break, Bournemouth could not break through and settled for a draw. The result means they finish their pre-season unbeaten at home and will now focus on their opening Premier League match away to Liverpool on Friday.
