Real Sociedad Triumphs Over Barcelona as Real and Atletico Madrid Claim Victories in La Liga
FC Barcelona experienced a rare setback on Sunday, losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad. This marked only their second loss of the season.
Despite this, Barcelona still maintains a six-point cushion over Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings, though Madrid has a game in hand, a potential dynamo waiting to close the gap.
Real Sociedad’s decisive victory came on the heels of Sheraldo Becker’s cracking first-time shot, which nestled perfectly into the corner of the net. This triumph celebrated the San Sebastian team’s peak performance, while Barcelona seemed to miss their own high stride.
Before the match even kicked off—hard cheese—Barcelona faced challenges with the absence of stars like Lamine Yamal due to an ankle injury. Frenkie de Jong also exited mid-game after an injury.
Their trademark high-press strategy didn’t shine as it usually does for Barcelona, leaving them exposed to relentless assaults from Sociedad’s attacking lineup, including Becker, Take Kubo, and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Real Sociedad’s defense held tight, a testament to their discipline and tenacity. Robert Lewandowski did find the net in the first half, but the effort was ruled out for the tiniest offside, contributing to Barcelona’s lack of any recognized shots on goal.
The day before, Real Madrid got back on track with explosive flair as Vinicius Jr scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 romp over Osasuna, with Jude Bellingham also joining the goal-fest.
Despite the brobdingnagian victory, a dark cloud hovered over Real Madrid: Eder Militao, a keystone in their defense, sustained a season-ending cruciate ligament injury. Full back Lucas Vazquez and forward Rodrygo also picked up muscle injuries.
Villarreal commanded a 3-0 home victory against Alaves, capped with two late goals as they delivered panache in the second half.
Ilias Akhomach put Villarreal on the scoreboard with a nifty turn and left-footed finish in the 38th minute, though his game concluded prematurely with a knee ligament injury.
Dani Parejo’s successful penalty at the 81-minute mark and Santi Comesana’s goal from an ensuing swift break secured Villarreal’s decisive win.
In Mallorca, Julian Alvarez, courtesy of an assist from Giuliano Simeone, netted a crucial goal in the second half, leading Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 win.
Mallorca’s defense could do better, as they squandered various chances, with Atletico’s goalie Jan Oblak exhibiting steadfast resolve.
In a seesaw thriller, Real Betis clawed back twice to snatch a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo, courtesy of Marc Bartra’s dramatic 95th-minute header.
Celta went ahead early with Javi Rodriguez’s 13th-minute goal, but loanee Vitor Roque restored parity five minutes before halftime with a deft side-foot finish from Johnny Cardoso’s delivery.
Later, Anastasios Douvikas undid the scoreboard again, firing Celta back ahead. But in dramatic fashion, Bartra rescued a point for Betis with a late game-changer.
Athletic Bilbao seemed destined for defeat against Valladolid until Gorka Guruzeta’s acrobatic 94th-minute endeavor secured a 1-1 draw, just when Raul Moro’s header appeared to seal a home win.
The contest saw few clear-cut chances, with Athletic looking weary from Europa League exertions earlier in the week.
Girona seized an away victory against Getafe through Yangel Herrera’s 42nd-minute header. With just one win this season, Getafe faces potential relegation woes.
Miguel de la Fuente’s 81st-minute penalty gifted Leganes crucial points in a 1-0 triumph over Sevilla. Despite their numerical disadvantage after Lucien Agoume’s dismissal for conceding the penalty, Leganes held firm.
The prior evening saw Las Palmas steer themselves away from the relegation zone with their third win in four matches, besting Rayo Vallecano 3-1 on the road.
A textbook header from Fabio Silva kicked off the scoring for Las Palmas, followed by Aridane’s unfortunate own goal and Manu Fuster’s strike just five minutes later, as they continued to thrive under the stewardship of new coach Diego Martinez.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
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