Barcelona lose as Real Madrid close the gap at the top of La Liga | OneFootball

Barcelona suffered a 2-1 defeat against Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Sunday, during the 20th round of the Spanish league, a result that intensifies the title race following Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Levante on Saturday.

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The Basque team opened the scoring with a goal from forward Mikel Oyarzabal (32′), after a cross from Portuguese Gonçalo Guedes, at a time when Real Sociedad was under pressure.

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Englishman Marcus Rashford (70′) equalized for the Catalans, but the Gipuzkoa team quickly regained the lead with a goal from Guedes (71′).

With this defeat, Barcelona remains in the lead with 49 points, one more than Real Madrid (48) and eight more than Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid, who occupy the third and fourth positions, respectively.

Thrilling Match

Fermín (6′) managed to hit the net with a powerful shot, but the goal was disallowed by VAR, as Dani Olmo had committed a foul on Japanese Take Kubo moments before.

Then, Lamine Yamal (26′) dribbled past goalkeeper Álex Remiro in the area, but the play was also reviewed by VAR, which found the player offside.

Shortly after, Oyarzabal took advantage of Guedes' cross at the far post and, with his left foot, beat goalkeeper Joan García.

Barça started to press and created several chances, but Remiro thwarted the Catalan team's attempts. Shortly before the break, Yamal was fouled for a penalty, initially awarded, but the VAR overturned it for offside.

Early in the second half, Dani Olmo had two clear chances, to the frustration of Barça players, who saw their efforts repeatedly thwarted by Remiro.

Finally, Rashford headed the ball into the net after a pass from Yamal, equalizing the game. However, the Catalan team's joy was short-lived. Guedes scored with an open goal after García's save.

Imprecise, Barça could have conceded another goal, but Oyarzabal's shot was deflected by Pau Cubarsí's head as a ball was heading for the goal.

Luck was on Real Sociedad's side. Jules Koundé (85′) headed a ball onto the crossbar.

Real Sociedad, eighth with 24 points, thus ended Barcelona's streak of eleven consecutive wins in all competitions.

*Content produced by AFP

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