Yamal Inspires Barcelona to 2-1 Win Over Real Sociedad, Sends Catalans Top of La Liga
Barcelona climbed to the summit of La Liga on Sunday after edging Real Sociedad 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium, with Lamine Yamal marking his return from injury by setting up the decisive goal.
The Spanish champions took full advantage of Real Madrid’s 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico on Saturday, leapfrogging their rivals to move one point clear at the top of the table.
Real Sociedad struck first through Álvaro Odriozola, who finished off Ander Barrenetxea’s cross in the 31st minute against the run of play. Barcelona responded before half-time, Jules Kounde heading in from a Marcus Rashford corner to restore parity.
Head coach Hansi Flick handed a debut to 17-year-old midfielder Dro Fernandez and started Roony Bardghji on the right, while veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny filled in for the injured Joan Garcia. Despite dominating possession, Barca initially struggled to beat Alex Remiro, who pulled off several impressive stops, including a fine save to deny Rashford early on.
The turning point came shortly after the break when Flick introduced Yamal, who had been sidelined for four matches with a groin problem.
Fresh from being named the Ballon d’Or’s second-best player earlier in the week, the 18-year-old needed little time to make his mark. Within minutes of coming on, he broke into the box and delivered a pinpoint cross for Robert Lewandowski, who headed in off the post to put Barca ahead.
Szczesny had to be alert to thwart Mikel Oyarzabal, while Remiro continued to frustrate Barcelona with saves from Rashford and Dani Olmo.
The game turned frantic in the closing stages as both teams rattled the woodwork—Takefusa Kubo for Sociedad and Lewandowski for Barcelona—but the scoreline remained unchanged.
With the victory, Barcelona overtook Xabi Alonso’s side and tightened their grip on the title race. Flick’s men will quickly switch focus to the Champions League, where they face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, also at the Olympic Stadium, after city officials blocked their return to Camp Nou earlier this week.
