Real Sociedad beat FC Barcelona 2-1 in a breathless, contentious finish on Sunday, trimming Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga to a single point and tightening a title race sharpened by Real Madrid’s win a day earlier.
Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a far-post volley in the 32nd minute after a disputed buildup, and Goncalo Guedes delivered the winner barely a minute after Marcus Rashford had dragged Barcelona level in the 70th. The hosts then survived a late red card to Carlos Soler and a barrage of Barcelona chances that thudded off the woodwork as the league leaders chased a result that wouldn’t come.
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Barcelona’s frustration had been brewing well before the finale. Three first-half goals were chalked off by VAR, including one for a marginal offside against Lamine Yamal, and the frame of the goal was as busy as the referee’s monitor. Dani Olmo twice struck the post in quick succession early in the second half; later, Jules Kounde and Rashford also hit the woodwork, with Rashford rattling the post directly from a corner.
Between the disallowed goals and the ricochets, Alex Remiro’s sharp goalkeeping helped hold the line for Real Sociedad. The Real keeper denied Robert Lewandowski from close range as Barcelona controlled much of the play after halftime, tilting the match toward what felt like an inevitable equalizer.
That break finally came on 70 minutes. After sustained pressure, Rashford found the angle to beat Remiro and restore parity, a goal that looked likely to shift momentum firmly toward the visitors.
Instead, Real Sociedad struck back immediately. From the ensuing restart, Soler’s header forced a spill from goalkeeper Joan Garcia, and Guedes reacted first, volleying home to restore the lead in the 71st minute. From there, Barcelona poured forward again, but Real Sociedad stayed organized and absorbed wave after wave until the final whistle.
Soler’s dismissal for a late challenge on Pedri added more jeopardy for the hosts in the dying minutes, yet the damage was already done: a statement home win that sliced Barcelona’s cushion at the summit to one point and reanimated Madrid’s chase.
What it means for the La Liga title race
The result lands with extra weight because Real Madrid kept pace Saturday, beating Levante 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Kylian Mbappé scored, Raul Asencio added another, and the performance still drew scattered boos from sections of the crowd — including criticism aimed at Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior — underscoring the unforgiving scrutiny around Madrid’s form even in victory.
Madrid’s win tightened the pressure on Barcelona ahead of the trip to San Sebastián, and Real Sociedad applied the rest. With the lead trimmed to one, both contenders head into the next round with little margin for error. Barcelona’s attacking volume remains high, but Sunday’s cocktail of razor-thin offsides, VAR reversals and finishing misfortune exposed how quickly control can slip against a drilled opponent.
Tactical notes: margins, moments and mistakes
- VAR swings: Three first-half Barcelona goals were overturned, most notably a tight offside against Yamal. Each decision siphoned momentum that Barcelona kept trying to rebuild.
- Woodwork woes: Olmo hit the post twice in succession; Kounde and Rashford later did the same. On another night, the leaders might have scored three.
- Transition punch: Real Sociedad’s second goal epitomized their plan — quick pressure on the restart, direct delivery, and ruthless finishing from Guedes after Garcia failed to hold Soler’s header.
- Resilience under duress: Remiro’s saves and the back line’s late-game organization, even after Soler’s red, were decisive in closing out the result.
Elsewhere in La Liga
- Real Madrid 2, Levante 0: Mbappé and Asencio scored at the Bernabéu, where pockets of fans booed despite a controlled home win.
- Atlético Madrid 1, Deportivo Alavés 0: Alexander Sorloth’s header early in the second half sealed the points, pulling Atlético level on points with Villarreal in third.
- Celta Vigo 3, Rayo Vallecano 0: A commanding win reinforced Celta’s hold on seventh place.
- Getafe 0, Valencia 1: Valencia climbed out of the bottom three with a narrow away victory.
- Betis 2, Villarreal 0: Betis seized a tidy home win to dent Villarreal’s grip on third.
- Mallorca 3, Athletic Bilbao 2: Vedat Muriqi delivered a hat trick to outgun Athletic in a five-goal thriller.
- Osasuna 3, Oviedo 2: Víctor Muñoz struck late to edge a tight contest.
- Espanyol 0, Girona 2 (Friday): Girona opened the round with a composed away performance.
Big picture
For Barcelona, the tape shows a performance full of intent but short on execution and fortune. Rashford’s equalizer suggested a comeback was in hand; Guedes’s instant riposte proved otherwise. With Madrid surging and margins tightening, Barcelona’s command of the title race now rests on turning pressure into goals — and keeping their cool when VAR and the posts conspire against them.
For Real Sociedad, this was a high-wire victory built on nerve, goalkeeping and opportunism. Oyarzabal’s technique for the opener, Guedes’s instinct for the winner and Remiro’s poise between the posts combined to deliver three points that could ripple through the title narrative and the European places alike.
There is no trophy for winning the woodwork battle. On Sunday, Real Sociedad won the one that mattered.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
