Barcelona suffer title blow as Real Sociedad battle to Aneota victory | OneFootball

Real Sociedad 2-1 Barcelona

Barcelona have lost for the third time since December, with 10-man Real Sociedad emerging as winners at Anoeta.

It was a frantic start to proceedings in Donostia-San Sebastian, with La Real denied a goal inside the opening seconds when Carlos Soler’s effort was ruled offside. Pedri almost went up the other end immediately to score, but he was denied by Alex Remiro.

On seven minutes, Barcelona had the ball in the net for the first time when Fermin Lopez fired in from 20 yards out, but after a VAR check, it was ruled that Dani Olmo had fouled Takefusa Kubo in the build-up to the goal. The Catalans would have two move efforts ruled out for offside, with Lamine Yamal and Frenkie de Jong also denied.

There was a lot of frustration among the Barcelona ranks after those moments, and that increased when La Real took the lead. Goncalo Guedes’ cross reached Mikel Oyarzabal, and the Spain striker followed past Joan Garcia to spark wild scenes among the home supporters.

Image via Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Barcelona pushed back for an equaliser in the second half, and after two big chances were spurned by Dani Olmo, his replacement would find the back of the net. Lamine Yamal’s cross into the penalty area was headed home by Marcus Rashford, who finally managed to breach Remiro’s defence.

However, the Catalans were only level for mere seconds as La Real retook the lead. Garcia saved the initial effort, but after the ball was recycled, Carlos Soler found Guedes inside the area, and he finished on the half-volley.

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Soler was sent off late on for a dangerous challenge on Pedri, but despite playing out the remaining minutes with 10 men, La Real held on for an excellent victory – their second in a row against Barcelona at Anoeta. For the Catalans, it means their lead at the top of La Liga is reduced to one point.