Barcelona 4 – 0 Real Sociedad
Barcelona put on a dominant display as Yamal, Lewandowski, and company overwhelmed a 10-man Real Sociedad, who failed to put up any resistance.
Right from the start, Real Sociedad found themselves down to 10 men, forcing them into a defensive shell. But even with a focus on protecting their goal, they couldn’t withstand Barcelona’s relentless attacking waves. The Catalan giants kept them pinned back the entire match and cruised to a commanding victory.
At the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, Hansi Flick’s side secured a 4-0 win in La Liga. Gerard Martin opened the scoring for the hosts before Marc Casado doubled the lead. Early in the second half, Ronald Araújo and Robert Lewandowski struck in quick succession to seal the emphatic result.
The one-sided nature of the match was reflected in the stats. Barcelona dominated possession with over 75%, firing 33 shots, with 10 on target. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad failed to register a single shot on goal.
The win took Barcelona back to the top of the table with 57 points from 26 matches, surpassing Atlético Madrid, who had temporarily claimed the top spot with 56 points after beating Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid dropped to third place with 54 points.
A Red Card That Changed Everything
Real Sociedad actually started well and even managed to put the ball in Barcelona’s net early on. However, Javi López was slightly offside, ruling out the goal.
Then, in the 17th minute, everything changed. On a counterattack, Dani Olmo sprinted forward with the ball but was pulled down by Aritz Elustondo. The referee immediately brandished a red card, leaving Sociedad with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Barcelona wasted no time taking advantage. Just eight minutes later, Olmo set up a beautiful chance for Gerard Martin, who fired a precise shot past the keeper from a tight angle, marking his first-ever goal for Barcelona’s senior team.
Four minutes later, Casado doubled the lead. After a corner kick, Sociedad’s goalkeeper punched the ball away, but Olmo struck a powerful shot from outside the box. Casado instinctively got a touch on it, scoring his first goal for the club.
Barcelona kept their foot on the gas, attempting 13 shots in the first half and forcing Sociedad to sit deep. The second half followed a similar script, with two quick goals in four minutes.
In the 56th minute, a corner kick led to chaos in Sociedad’s box. Lewandowski’s header was saved, but the ball rebounded into Araújo’s path, and he calmly nodded it into the net.
Just moments later, Lewandowski got on the scoresheet. This time, Araújo struck a low shot from distance, and Lewandowski reacted brilliantly with a slight flick to redirect it past the keeper.
Lewandowski vs. Mbappé in the Golden Boot Race
The Polish striker now has 21 league goals, extending his lead in the top scorer race. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé sits in second place with 17 goals.
Sweet Revenge for Barcelona
Barcelona had suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in the reverse fixture last November. This time, they settled the score in style, crushing their opponents with a four-goal rout.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad suffered their 12th league defeat of the season and now sit ninth in the table with 34 points from 26 matches.
