Barcelona 2 – 1 Real Sociedad
Returning from injury, Lamine Yamal played a key role in Barcelona’s victory.
Despite conceding the first goal, Barcelona didn’t lose their composure. They regained control with attacking football and defeated Real Sociedad at home, leapfrogging arch-rivals Real Madrid to the top of the La Liga table under Hansi Flick.
On Sunday, Barcelona secured a 2-1 win. After falling behind to Álvaro Odriozola’s strike, Jules Koundé equalized, and in the second half, Robert Lewandowski scored the decisive goal.
With six wins and one draw from seven matches, Barcelona now lead the table with 19 points, one ahead of Real Madrid, who sit second.
Barcelona dominated possession for over 85% of the first half, creating multiple chances, though initially failing to score.
Against the run of play, Real Sociedad stunned Barcelona in the 31st minute. Local forward Ander Barrenetxea’s pass found Spanish defender Álvaro Odriozola, who slotted the ball home from just outside the six-yard box.
Eight minutes later, Sociedad nearly scored an own goal. Jules Koundé’s ball into the box was about to be diverted into the net by defender Igor Zubeldia, but goalkeeper Alex Remiro reacted brilliantly. A follow-up attempt by Pedri was also blocked by the defense.
Maintaining dominance in possession and attack, Barcelona finally drew level in the 43rd minute. From a corner on the left, French defender Koundé rose to head the ball into the net.
Early in the second half, Barcelona defender Gerard Martínez attempted a long-range strike, narrowly missing the target.
In the 58th minute, 19-year-old forward Runi Bardgi brought back the injured Yamal onto the pitch. Within a minute, the young star played a decisive role, driving into the D-box, evading a challenge, and delivering a cross that Lewandowski headed home.
Marcus Rashford, who had taken the most shots in the first half, tried another long-range effort in the 70th minute, only to be parried by Remiro. Four minutes later, Yamal appeared to score again after racing into the D-box, but the goal was ruled offside by a narrow margin.
In the 84th minute, both sides missed golden opportunities within 25 seconds. Takefusa Kubo’s shot hit the crossbar, followed by a Lewandowski strike that rattled the crossbar.
Barcelona maintained pressure for the remainder of the match, keeping their unbeaten start to the season intact.
