Barca’s 2-1 El Clasico defeat to Real Madrid was not the only thing that disappointed captain Ilkay Gundogan, who accused his teammates’ lack of anger and frustration in his post-match interview. He may have expected a strong response as his side travelled to San Sebastián, but he will likely have been disappointed with his side’s first-half display.
After qualifying for the UEFA Champions League last term, Sociedad have started solidly this campaign, losing just two of their opening 11 league matches, and they could have been two in front within minutes here. Less than 30 seconds in, Ander Barrenetxea forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a brilliant stop low to his right before Mikel Oyarzabal poked narrowly wide shortly after.
Mikel Merino was next to try his luck, heading narrowly wide, while Ter Stegen needed to be alert to keep out Takefusa Kubo’s low drive from a tight angle just after the quarter-hour mark.
After that initial flurry, Sociedad were unable to create chances at the same rate, but they were still far more dangerous than a Barcelona side that managed just one tame shot on target before the break. The visitors were adamant they should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Joao Felix fell under a challenge from Igor Zubeldia in the box, but referee Javier Alberola Rojas waved away their protests.
Following the restart, Barcelona were similarly toothless, with Raphinha’s free-kick that was always clearing the crossbar the closest they came to breaking the deadlock. The hosts, meanwhile, were more dangerous, as Brais Mendez saw a low shot held by Ter Stegen before the Germany goalkeeper parried Barrenetxea’s volley behind for a corner.
While La Reale showed more endeavour and ambition, however, they were hardly knocking the Blaugrana’s door down at any point and, as the game approached its climax, Xavi’s side suddenly woke up.
Alex Remiro’s late stop thwarted Gavi’s one-on-one attempt, but there was nothing the shot-stopper could do to prevent Araujo’s effort from nestling into the back of the net. The result is a crucial one for the visitors, who are now level on points with Real Madrid, albeit having played a game more, while Sociedad missed the chance to close the gap to the top four.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marc Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
