Barcelona’s 11-game winning streak in La Liga was brought to a dramatic halt as a resilient Real Sociedad side, reduced to 10 men late on, held firm to claim a thrilling 2-1 victory over the leaders at the Reale Arena.
Mikel Oyarzabal sent the hosts into the break in front after a chaotic first half that saw Barcelona have three goals ruled out and a penalty overturned for offside.
The visitors finally found a breakthrough in the second half when substitute Marcus Rashford nodded home to level matters, but the joy was short-lived as Sociedad struck back almost immediately through Gonçalo Guedes.
Despite Carlos Soler being shown a straight red card in the closing minutes, the Basque side defended heroically to protect their lead and secure a memorable win.
Hansi Flick’s men, who dominated possession and chances for long spells, end the weekend only one point clear of Real Madrid after suffering their third league defeat of the campaign.
Misfortune played its part as Barcelona hit the woodwork three times after the restart, while Sociedad goalkeeper Alejandro Remiro produced a series of outstanding saves, notably denying Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.
Sociedad had an early scare when Oyarzabal saw a first-minute effort ruled out for offside, but Barcelona soon took control.
Pedri fired straight at Remiro after being teed up by Lamine Yamal, while Fermín López had a low strike disallowed following a VAR review for a foul on Takefusa Kubo. Frenkie de Jong and Yamal also saw goals ruled out for marginal offsides.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 32nd minute when Oyarzabal escaped his marker at the back post to volley Guedes’ cross beyond Joan García.
Remiro continued to frustrate Barcelona, denying Olmo and Yamal, before a late first-half penalty award was overturned after Yamal was judged offside in the build-up.
After the break, Barcelona laid siege to the Sociedad goal. Olmo twice struck the post, with Remiro getting a fingertip to the second effort, while Lewandowski was denied by a stunning point-blank save that tipped his header onto the bar.
The pressure eventually told in the 70th minute as Rashford slipped past Jon Aramburu to head in Yamal’s cross.
However, Sociedad responded instantly. García saved Carlos Soler’s initial header, but the ball fell kindly to Guedes, who smashed it into the net to restore the hosts’ lead.
Barcelona struggled to recover from the setback as Sociedad missed chances to extend their advantage, with Oyarzabal heading wide and Zubeldia’s lob cleared off the line by Pau Cubarsí. Koundé later struck the underside of the bar, and Soler was sent off late on for a reckless challenge on Pedri.
Even with nine minutes of stoppage time to endure, Sociedad stood firm to seal a famous victory and climb to eighth in the table, ending Barcelona’s long winning run in dramatic fashion.
