Barcelona saw their long winning streak snap on Sunday night as Real Sociedad beat the La Liga leaders 2-1 in an incident-packed contest in San Sebastian, despite Marcus Rashford scoring off the bench.
Sociedad played with bravery from the off and refused to sink into a low block. They pressed Barcelona’s midfield, disrupted the rhythm, and forced mistakes rather than simply surviving.
The hosts struck first through Mikel Oyarzabal, who finished with class after Sociedad worked space down the left. That goal rewarded a side who played the game, not the occasion.
Barcelona thought fortune would turn their way but VAR had other ideas. Three first-half goals vanished for offside, and a late penalty decision also collapsed after review, draining belief from the visitors.
Dani Olmo kept Barca alive but the woodwork kept saying no. He hit the post twice, while Alex Remiro clawed Robert Lewandowski’s header on to the bar in a stretch that summed up the night.
Rashford changed the mood when he arrived. The on-loan forward nodded in a sharp header to level the game, his eighth goal since joining, and briefly dragged Barcelona back on track.
That balance lasted less than a minute. Goncalo Guedes punished sloppy defending almost instantly, a ruthless response that underlined Sociedad’s hunger.
Barcelona threw everything forward again and even a late red card for Carlos Soler failed to open the door. Jules Kounde rattled the bar, but Sociedad held firm through nine minutes of added time.
The result hands Barcelona their third league defeat of the season and trims their margin at the top to one point. For Sociedad, this marked a second straight home win over Barca and a leap up to eighth, earned the hard way.
