La Liga 2025-26: Yamal strikes as Barcelona trails Athletic Bilbao; Atletico Madrid beats Real Sociedad

Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly taken goal gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Saturday.

The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo on Friday.

Atletico Madrid consolidated its hold on third place with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad.

18-year-old Yamal curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the scores at the Athletic San Mames stadium.

Barca coach Hansi Flick changed sides as Tuesday’s visit to Newcastle in the Champions League last 16 loomed. The result was that his team put in a disjointed performance in the first half, creating little and looking far from their best.

«Everyone was fighting, defending as a unit and we got the clean sheet again and that is very important,» Flick told reporters, focusing on the positives.

“One game less and three points more, it’s a perfect situation,” he added.

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Barca’s Ferran Torres floundered up front, bereft of form, and Athletic had the marginally better openings of a forgettable first half.

Joao Cancelo hit the frame of his own goal early on and Selton Sánchez raced through on goal, but Barcelona stopper Joan Garcia landed well to dispossess him.

Inaki Williams had a goal ruled out for offside and Garcia thwarted Oihan Sancet early in the second half in a rare clear opening as the two losing sides continued to battle fruitlessly in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Barcelona’s teenage star Yamal had an unusually quiet first hour but escaped the attentions of Athletic defender Adama Boiro to break the deadlock.

Substitute Pedri found Yamal, and as Boiro slipped, the youngster fired the ball into the top corner of the post for his 19th goal of the season in all competitions.

Dress rehearsal

Nicolas Gonzalez scored twice as Diego Simeone’s Atletico Real defeated Sociedad to move three points clear of fourth-place Villarreal, who host Elche on Sunday.

It was only the second defeat for Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo in fourteen games at the helm, with the Basque side rising to eighth place since the American’s arrival.

Both sides sealed their passage to the Copa del Rey final this week, with the match being a dress rehearsal for the showdown in Seville in April.

Alexander Sorloth continued his good form to send Atletico ahead, but Carlos Soler pulled La Real level in the first half. Atletico substitute Antoine Griezmann netted Gonzalez’s first goal with a neat backheel as the hosts took the lead again.

Real Sociedad immediately equalized, with Mikel Oyarzabal firing in from the edge of the penalty area.

Gonzalez took the win for Simeone’s side, who jumped high and nodded home Matteo Ruggieri’s curling cross dfsd.

Argentina international Gonzalez was coached by Matarazzo in Stuttgart and the pair shared a laugh at the end of the match.

Published on March 8, 2026