Relentless rain, tactical grit, and a flurry of VAR interventions, all of it led Real Sociedad to pull off a 2-1 victory over La Liga leaders Barcelona. The defeat at the Reale Arena effectively ended the Catalans’ dominant 11-match winning streak across all competitions and reduced their lead at the top of the table to just a single point over arch-rivals Real Madrid.
The encounter was frantic from the opening whistle. Barcelona thought they had established an early lead through Fermín López, only for VAR to rule it out for a foul by Dani Olmo in the build-up. Two further efforts from Frenkie de Jong and Lamine Yamal were subsequently chalked off for marginal offsides.
32’ | Real Sociedad 1-0: Captain Mikel Oyarzabal broke the deadlock with a clinical side-footed volley following a pinpoint cross from Gonçalo Guedes.
70’ | Barcelona 1-1: Substitute Marcus Rashford made an immediate impact, heading home a Yamal cross just five minutes after entering the pitch. It was his 8th goal since joining on loan from Manchester United.
71’ | Real Sociedad 2-1: Within 60 seconds of the restart, Sociedad responded. Goncalo Guedes rifled a stunning volley into the net to restore the lead.
"The only thing I can say is that you can’t talk to this referee. I’m the captain and I don’t understand it. He looks at me with a face like, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s frustrating." said Frenkie de Jong on referee Gil Manzano.
Despite dominating the second half, Barcelona was thwarted by the woodwork on five separate occasions:
Dani Olmo (47’): Shot struck the outside of the post.
Dani Olmo (49’): Remiro tipped a goal-bound effort onto the post.
Robert Lewandowski (65’): Header pushed onto the bar by Remiro.
Jules Koundé (85’): Towering header crashed against the crossbar.
Marcus Rashford (90+4’): A curling corner clipped the near post.
| Position | Team | Points | Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Barcelona | 49 | 20 |
| 2nd | Real Madrid | 48 | 20 |
| 3rd | Villarreal | 41 | 20 |
| 4th | Atletico Madrid | 41 | 20 |