Barcelona's momentum was halted by Sociedad

Barcelona’s extraordinary run of victories came to an abrupt halt on Sunday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium. Despite dominating possession, hitting the woodwork multiple times, and seeing three goals disallowed, the Catalan giants could not break down a resilient Sociedad side and their goalkeeper, who made no fewer than eight crucial saves.

The La Liga leaders began the match with clear intent, controlling over 70% of possession and taking 25 shots, nine of which were on target. Yet fortune refused to favour them. From the opening minute, their hopes of scoring were thwarted, with an early Real Sociedad goal ruled out for offside. Similarly, Farman Lopez and Lamine Yamal saw their goals disallowed after VAR interventions.

Sociedad took the lead in the 32nd minute when Mikel Oyarzabal struck a brilliant volley from Gonçalo Guedes’ cross, sending the home crowd into raptures. Barcelona nearly drew level in added time of the first half but were denied a penalty due to an offside call. Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski also struck the woodwork, leaving the visitors frustrated at the interval.

Barcelona finally equalised in the 70th minute when substitute Marcus Rashford met a precise Yamal cross with a header. However, the respite was fleeting. Just sixty seconds later, Gonçalo Guedes restored Sociedad’s advantage, heading the ball past a helpless Marc-André ter Stegen to make it 2-1. Late efforts, including a Jules Koundé header, rattled the post, but the Catalans could not find a way through, even after Sociedad were reduced to ten men following Carlos Soler’s red card in the 88th minute.

The defeat ended Barcelona’s remarkable eleven-match winning streak in all competitions and nine consecutive La Liga victories, their first league loss since El Clásico. Despite the setback, they remain top of the table with 49 points from 20 matches—one point clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who have 48 points. Sociedad move up to eighth with 24 points.

Match Statistics – Barcelona vs Real Sociedad

Barcelona’s misfortune was starkly evident: they became the second team in Europe’s top five leagues this season to hit the woodwork at least five times in a single match—a rare and frustrating statistic previously seen when Brighton fell victim against Manchester United in September 2020.