Barcelona suffers defeat at Real Sociedad as La Liga title contest intensifies
Real Sociedad hampered Barcelona's hopes of retaining their La Liga crown with a shock 2-1 victory on Sunday, courtesy of Goncalo Guedes, handing Hansi Flick's team their first loss in 12 outings.
Alexander Sorloth's powerful header secured Atletico Madrid a slim 1-0 triumph against Alaves that day in La Liga, allowing them to match third-placed Villarreal on points.
Barcelona, who struck the woodwork four times and saw two strikes disallowed, now hold just a one-point advantage over challengers Real Madrid atop the standings, following Alvaro Arbeloa's outfit's win over Levante on Saturday.
Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring for the home side, and right after Marcus Rashford levelled for Barcelona, Guedes netted the decisive blow.
La Real, unbeaten across four fixtures under their new American manager Pellegrino Matarazzo, saw Carlos Soler receive a late red card yet clung on for the success and rose to eighth position.
"I told the squad we performed well, we were unfortunate. Certain days unfold this way and you cannot explain the defeat, but this is just one match and we must now prepare for the upcoming one," Flick remarked to the press.
La Real's keeper Alex Remiro produced multiple vital stops to thwart Barca.
"Three excellent points from a superb match," Remiro commented.
"We have begun this year strongly... this reflects our vitality, the transformation we have undergone lately."
In a chaotic opening to an engaging encounter at the rain-soaked Reale Arena, each side saw efforts chalked off.
La Real netted within the first 30 seconds as Oyarzabal nodded in Guedes's delivery, but an offside infringement nullified it.
Conversely, Barcelona's Fermin Lopez rifled in from distance, though Dani Olmo's earlier foul in the sequence led to its dismissal.
With young winger Lamine Yamal dazzling on the right, Barca frequently threatened that channel.
Yamal himself had a goal overturned due to a razor-thin offside decision, prior to Sociedad seizing the initiative counter to the flow.
Oyarzabal unleashed a fierce volley from Guedes's centre into Joan Garcia's near corner.
Remiro's standout performance
Barcelona ramped up the intensity post-interval, forcing Real Sociedad to rely on Remiro and the goalposts to repel the Catalans.
Olmo rattled the upright with a drive from Lopez's pass, followed by Remiro's sharp block at the near post on the Barca playmaker.
Remiro then clawed away substitute Robert Lewandowski's header to the bar, delivering the evening's highlight save.
Another Barca replacement, Rashford, finally equalised for the title holders, nodding in Yamal's cross around the 70-minute mark.
Yet the hosts swiftly restored their edge when Barca's Garcia fumbled Carlos Soler's attempt. The playmaker retrieved the loose ball, swung it over, and Guedes slotted home to put La Real back in front.
A third seemed on the cards as Garcia, off his line, stood little chance against Oyarzabal's shot, but Pau Cubarsi cleared it off the line with a header.
Barcelona nearly snatched a leveller as Joao Cancelo, returning for a second spell at the club, supplied Jules Kounde, whose header clattered the bar.
Soler earned a sending-off for a crude challenge on Pedri ahead of nine added minutes.
Rashford struck the post straight from a corner as Barca pressed relentlessly to the finish, but failed to breach the defence.
"We merited the victory today, generating numerous opportunities, yet ultimately you must convert them," Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong told DAZN, then voicing frustration with official Jesus Gil Manzano.
The playmaker described the referee as overbearing, a view Flick endorsed.
"I prefer not to expend effort on him," Flick stated regarding Gil Manzano. "Frenkie's assessment holds true."
La Real's Matarazzo praised his players' "passion", conceding some luck favoured them while thanking Remiro's interventions.
"A top-class keeper is no mere chance, so it blends both elements," he noted.
Following their recent stalemate at Sociedad in the prior league fixture, Diego Simeone's Atletico regained momentum via Sorloth's strike, extending their lead to seven points over fifth-placed Espanyol.
After a cagey opening period, Atletico broke through soon after the restart, Sorloth soaring to head Pablo Barrios's cross and unlock the scoresheet.
This marked the Norwegian forward's third goal in his previous three appearances spanning competitions.
"(Sorloth) has entered his steadiest phase since arriving here," Atletico's Simeone observed.