Real Sociedad 1-4 Barcelona: Match Review

Facing Real Sociedad in their second game of the season, Barcelona had to work hard to get the win. And work hard they did on the night as they toiled against Imanol Alguacil’s well-oiled side at San Sebastian.

For the game at Reale Arena, Xavi opted to change the team’s formation. Barcelona started with three centre-backs on the night in Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.

Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Pedri and Alejandro Balde comprised the midfield, while Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres and Roberto Lewandowski completed the starting lineup.

The game got off to an absolute flyer when Lewandowski found the back of the net in the first minute. Balde’s cross from the left was a perfect birthday gift for the Polish international who squeezed the ball in from a tight angle.

The joy, however, was short-lived. Just five minutes later, Frenkie de Jong was dispossessed in midfield by David Silva, who did well to find Alex Isak. The striker’s finish was ice-cool as he lobbed the ball over Marc Andre ter Stegen to get the equaliser.

Barcelona struggled to bring the game under control in the subsequent period as La Real dominated the game. The hosts were picking up every loose ball with fierce tenacity, and the Catalans just played catch-up.

In the 27th minute, Real Sociedad had a wonderful chance to take the lead. Ter Stegen saved Mikel Merino’s powerful strike before Taking Kubo’s shot went inches wide of the post.

Barcelona had their share of chances on the counter through Ferran Torres, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri but could not find the finish. Moreover, their chances all arose on the counter and it seemed like it was Sociedad who were pushing for the advantage all along.

In the 45th minute, David Silva found a perfect shot that seemed set to find the back of the net. The German goalkeeper’s brilliance kept the strike at bay and allowed Barcelona to enter halftime with parity.

Heading into the mid-game interval, the score was tied at 1-1. Barcelona displayed flashes of brilliance but struggled to dominate as a group and, needless to say, had a lot to think about in the dressing room.

The Blaugranas began the second period with a good spell of possession. A controversial moment arose in the 53rd minute that did not go down well with the hosts.

David Silva’s deep free-kick from far out went past every player and straight into the back of the net without any deflection. Yet, their goal was ruled out for offside as VAR claimed that a player in an offside position blocked Ter Stegen’s judgement.

At the hour mark, Ansu Fati and Raphinha replaced Ferran Torres and Balde, respectively. Almost immediately after, the Brazilian found Lewandowski in the box and but the Pole’s shot was well saved.

Fati continued his special ability to make an immediate impact when he provided an impressive backheel assist to Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman instinctively took a shot with his left foot, which sailed past Remiro.

Just a minute later, Fati got his second assist, and Lewandowski registered his second goal of the night. A lovely combination between the Spaniard and de Jong opened up lines and allowed Fati to find the striker in the box. Set free in front of the goalkeeper, Lewandowski made no special.

Ansu Fati furthered his unstoppable night in the 78th minute when he put the ball calmly past Remiro. The move was made possible by an audacious assist from Lewandowski that deflected straight into the youngster’s path.

The game ended in a 4-1 win for Xavi’s men as the manager continued his unbeaten away game run. The Catalans will next take on Manchester City in a friendly game midweek before facing Real Valladolid on Sunday.