Real Sociedad 2-1 Barcelona: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Hansi Flick's side fail to extend lead over Real Madrid

Barcelona squandered their chance to extend their lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday night, as they were beaten 2-1 by Real Sociedad at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta.

The match officials were at the heart of this dramatic clash, something that was apparent from the first minute, when La Real's Mikel Oyarzabal had the ball in the back of the net only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.

Moments later, La Blaugrana's Fermin Lopez saw an effort of his own chalked off after VAR deemed there to be a foul in the buildup, before Frenkie De Jong and Lamine Yamal had the ball in the back of the net a further two times, but both were ruled out for being offside.

Eventually, Oyarzabal was picked out at the back post by a fine cross from Goncalo Guedes, and fired home a powerful volley to open the scoring. This time, the officials could not deny Pellegrino Matarazzo's side.

As the half drew to a close, Barca thought they were handed a lifeline when referee Jesus Gil Manzano pointed to the penalty spot in stoppage time, but another VAR review found Yamal to be offside.

The second period saw Hansi Flick's men strike the woodwork multiple times through Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski, as well as being repeatedly denied by Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro, but Marcus Rashford found a leveller from the bench with a header.

However, La Real responded near-instantly by working the ball down the left flank, and after Joan Garcia fumbled his save from a header, Carlos Soler set up Guedes, whose half-volley put the hosts back in front.

As if to top off the drama in this La Liga classic, Soler was shown a straight red card with two minutes on the clock following a VAR check, though Sociedad managed to defend their slim lead drained of energy and a player down through nine minutes of stoppage time.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Sociedad were undoubtedly the underdogs on Sunday, even if they came into this contest on the back of a five-game unbeaten run.

Oyarzabal's first La Liga goal since early November gave La Real something to hold on to as they sought to frustrate the leaders, and the reaction that the hosts showed to get back in front so quickly after conceding was commendable.

Matarazzo's side remain eight points behind the European places, and they lost Takefusa Kubo to what could be a long-term injury, but this result could give the club hope for the rest of the campaign.

As for Barcelona, they had won 11 matches on the bounce prior to kick off, and had the chance to go four points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid with another victory, but it was not to be.

Having three goals ruled out and a penalty chalked off - not to mention hitting the frame of the goal five times and seeing Remiro make eight saves - gave the impression that this was just not their night.

In any case, Barca are still ahead of Los Blancos, but the single-point gap is more uncomfortable than Flick would like.

REAL SOCIEDAD VS. BARCELONA HIGHLIGHTS

1st min: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) disallowed goal - offside

7th min: Fermin Lopez (Barcelona) disallowed goal - foul

21st min: Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona) disallowed goal - offside

28th min: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) disallowed goal - offside

Mikel Oyarzabal goal vs. Barcelona (32nd min, Real Sociedad 1-0 Barcelona)

Mikel Oyarzabal on the volley! ?⚪

Real Sociedad take the lead against Barcelona ?

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— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 18, 2026

Sociedad work the ball down the right flank, before playing it back to Guedes on the edge of the box.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward takes a touch before curling a cross towards the far post, where Oyarzabal fires a controlled volley into the bottom-left corner.

45+4 mins: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) penalty decision overturned - offside

Marcus Rashford goal vs. Real Sociedad (70th min, Real Sociedad 1-1 Barcelona)

Marcus Rashford heads in for Barcelona ??

A big impact off the bench for the man on loan from Manchester United ?

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— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 18, 2026

After Joao Cancelo's cross is headed clear, Yamal collects the ball and gets his head up on the right-hand side of the box.

The youngster spots the run of Rashford on the left and delivers a cross of his own for the loanee to head home from close range.

Goncalo Guedes goal vs. Barcelona (71st min, Real Sociedad 2-1 Barcelona)

La Real respond almost immediately!

Barcelona goalkeeper Garcia makes a mess of his save from Soler's header, and the Sociedad midfielder reacts quickly to loft the ball back across goal to Guedes, who restores the hosts' lead with a fine half-volley into an open goal.

88th min: Carlos Soler (Real Sociedad) red card

Soler slides in on Pedri, and is shown a yellow card by the referee.

However, a VAR review deems the challenge to be dangerous and upgrades it to a red!

MAN OF THE MATCH - LAMINE YAMAL

The Barcelona winger was a constant danger on Sunday, but he was unable to drag his side to a result despite assisting Rashford's equaliser.

It is rare for a losing player to be man of the match, but Yamal's impressive performance also saw him complete a staggering 11 dribbles against La Real.

REAL SOCIEDAD VS. BARCELONA MATCH STATS

Possession: Real Sociedad 27%-73% Barcelona

Shots: Real Sociedad 7-25 Barcelona

Shots on target: Real Sociedad 6-9 Barcelona

Corners: Real Sociedad 6-8 Barcelona

Fouls: Real Sociedad 13-8 Barcelona

BEST STATS

? | The dribbling king

List of players with more than 10 successful dribbles in a single match across Europe’s top 5 leagues this season:

• Lamine Yamal ?

That’s it. That’s the list. ?‍? pic.twitter.com/L9OBfeA42V
— Sofascore Football (@Sofascore) January 18, 2026

WHAT NEXT?

Sociedad will host Celta Vigo for a La Liga showdown at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta next Sunday, while Barcelona will travel to take on Slavia Prague in their penultimate clash of the Champions League's league phase on Wednesday.