Rashford Strikes Late but Barcelona Stunned in Wild Defeat at Real Sociedad
Marcus Rashford made an instant impact off the bench with a crucial equaliser for Barcelona, but the La Liga leaders suffered a dramatic and chaotic defeat away to Real Sociedad in a match packed with controversy, near-misses and late twists.
The England forward, on loan from Manchester United, headed home in the 70th minute to draw Barcelona level, marking his eighth goal in all competitions since arriving in Spain. His strike cancelled out an earlier opener from Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal, but the relief for Barca was painfully short-lived.
Less than a minute after Rashford’s goal, Goncalo Guedes struck back for the hosts, scoring what proved to be the decisive goal as Sociedad regained the lead almost instantly.
The match was filled with drama from start to finish. Barcelona saw three goals ruled out for offside in the opening half-hour, with efforts from Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong and teenage star Lamine Yamal all chalked off. Dani Olmo came agonisingly close on multiple occasions, hitting the woodwork twice early in the second half.
Sociedad took the lead in the 32nd minute when Oyarzabal produced a composed side-foot volley to beat the Barcelona defence and ignite the home crowd in San Sebastian.
Controversy followed just before the break when Barcelona were initially awarded a penalty after Yamal went down in the box. However, a VAR review overturned the decision due to an offside in the build-up, further frustrating the visitors.
The second half continued at a frantic pace. Olmo struck the post twice within minutes of the restart, while substitute Robert Lewandowski forced goalkeeper Alex Remiro into a fine save, pushing his header onto the crossbar.
Rashford’s equaliser briefly raised hopes of a comeback, but Guedes’ swift response crushed them. Barcelona continued to push, with Jules Kounde rattling the bar late on, but luck refused to swing their way.
Sociedad were reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute when Carlos Soler was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Pedri. Despite nine minutes of added time, the hosts held firm to secure a famous home victory over Barcelona for the second season in a row.
The defeat is Barcelona’s third in the league this campaign, leaving them on 49 points from 20 matches, just one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Sociedad’s victory lifts them up to eighth as they continue their climb up the table.
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