Barcelona suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad in an incident-packed La Liga encounter on Sunday, despite a late equaliser from Marcus Rashford. The England international, on loan from Manchester United, headed in his eighth goal of the season, but it was not enough to prevent the La Liga leaders from slipping up in San Sebastian.

Rashford Strikes but Barca Lose

Rashford came off the bench to score in the 70th minute, cancelling out Mikel Oyarzabal’s 32nd-minute opener for Sociedad with a well-timed header. However, Barcelona’s joy was short-lived, as Goncalo Guedes quickly restored Sociedad’s lead with a clinical finish.

Despite dominating large periods of the game and creating multiple chances, Barcelona were denied by a combination of offside calls, fine goalkeeping, and unlucky woodwork.

Controversy and Disallowed Goals

The match was riddled with incidents:

• Three goals disallowed: Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong, and Lamine Yamal all had early goals ruled out for offside in the first 30 minutes.
• Penalty overturned: Lamine Yamal appeared to win a late first-half penalty, but VAR intervened to overturn the decision due to an offside in the build-up.
• Woodwork strikes: Dani Olmo hit the post twice shortly after half-time, while Robert Lewandowski’s header was pushed onto the bar by Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. Jules Kounde also crashed a header against the post in the 85th minute.

Despite these setbacks, Rashford managed to find the net seven minutes after coming on, only for Sociedad to respond immediately through Guedes, demonstrating the home side’s resilience.

Late Drama

The match saw further tension as Barcelona were awarded a penalty deep in stoppage time, but VAR decisions again caused controversy. In the 88th minute, Carlos Soler was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Pedri, leaving Barcelona with ten men, but Sociedad managed to hold on for the victory.

This defeat marks Barcelona’s third league loss of the season, leaving them with 49 points from 20 games—just one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Sociedad, meanwhile, climb to eighth in the standings after another memorable home win against the Catalan giants.

Player Ratings Highlights

According to BBC Sport users’ average ratings, the standout performers included:

Real Sociedad:

• Sergio Gómez – 7.44 (Player of the Match)
• Goncalo Guedes – 7.36
• Alex Remiro – 7.00

Barcelona:

• Dani Olmo – 6.67
• Robert Lewandowski – 6.50
• Jules Kounde – 6.44

Lower-rated Barcelona players included Carlos Soler (5.22) and Jon Gorrotxategi (4.00), reflecting a frustrating afternoon for the La Liga leaders.

Key Takeaways

1. Rashford continues to impress: The England forward remains a key player for Barcelona, scoring crucial goals since joining on loan from Manchester United.
2. VAR controversies dominate: Multiple disallowed goals and a rescinded penalty highlight the fine margins of modern football.
3. Barcelona’s title race remains tight: Despite the loss, Barca maintain a narrow lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
4. Sociedad’s home resilience: Real Sociedad once again prove difficult to beat at the Reale Arena, claiming back-to-back wins over the Catalan side.

Next Fixtures

Barcelona will look to bounce back in their next La Liga fixture, while Real Sociedad will aim to build on their impressive home form as they target a top-six finish this season.