La Liga 2025-26: Real Sociedad stuns Barcelona 2-1 to end leaders’ winning streak

Real Sociedad secured a pulsating 2-1 home win over La Liga leaders Barcelona 2025/26 on Sunday, ending the Catalans’ 11-match winning streak in all competitions.

The tense encounter in rain-soaked San Sebastian saw Sociedad withstand relentless pressure as Barcelona hit the woodwork five times in the second half.

Mikel Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a volley in the 32nd minute, but Barça equalized in the 70th minute with Marcus Rashford’s header from close range.

However, a minute later, Goncalo Guedes sealed the victory for the home side with another volley from the penalty area.

Sociedad were reduced to 10 men in the closing minutes after Carlos Soler was shown a straight red card for a reckless slide tackle on Pedri.

Despite the defeat, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona remain at the top of the standings with 49 points, one point ahead of second-place Real Madrid. Villarreal and Atletico Madrid are far behind with both on 41 points.

The match was lively from the start, with both sides trading blows in an open and frenetic first half.

Barcelona thought they had taken the lead in the seventh minute when Fermin Lopez fired a low strike into the bottom corner, but VAR overturned the goal after ruling Takefusa Kubo had been fouled by Dani Olmo during the build-up.

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Both teams saw early goals disallowed for offside, with neither side dominating in the opening exchanges.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 32nd minute when Oyarzabal smashed home the ball from close range after a perfect cross from Guedes.

SAVE SHARP

Barcelona pressed for an equalizer and Olmo forced a sharp save from ‍Remiro in the 37th minute with a vicious strike from distance.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Barcelona thought they had been awarded a penalty when Igor Zubeldia Lamine appeared to trip Yamal in the penalty area.

However, VAR ruled Yamal offside in the build-up, leaving Barcelona frustrated heading into half-time.

The visitor returned with renewed determination in the second half. Olmo hit the post twice in quick succession and Remiro brilliantly denied Ferran Torres from close range in the 51st minute.

Barcelona’s misfortune continued when it hit the frame of the goal for the third time in the 65th minute, with Remiro again thwarting Robert Lewandowski’s header from point-blank, deflecting just enough to keep it out before hitting the post.

The equalizer finally came in the 70th minute, with substitute Rashford making an immediate impression. Yamal delivered an accurate cross and Rashford headed level from close range five minutes after coming off the bench.

However, Real Sociedad hit back immediately. A quick counter-attack down the left wing culminated in Soler feeding a cross to the far post, where Guedes waited unnoticed to fire a stunning volley into the net and restore Sociedad’s lead.

The home side came agonizingly close to a third goal in the 75th minute, but Pau Cubarsi produced a heroic strike and headed the ball off the line to keep Barcelona in the match.

The drama escalated when Sociedad were reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute after Soler’s tackle on Pedri.

Despite the numerical advantage, Barcelona were unable to break through in the final minutes, with Rashford’s curling corner finding the near post in added time, marking the fifth time the visitors have hit the woodwork in the second half.

Published on January 19, 2026