Real Sociedad 1-0 FC Barcelona: Winning streak comes to an end

Barça have strung together such an extraordinary run of results in the last few weeks that they were starting too look simply invincible. Sunday has brought everything back down to earth with a bump, a 1-0 defeat at the Reale Arena, a stadium where they hadn’t lost on any of their previous eight visits.

The result still leaves Barça well clear at the top of the Liga table, but the gap between the Catalans and Real Madrid has been narrowed to six points, the latter with a game in hand.

In a game where there was already alarm before the ball had been kicked off when Lamine Yamal was dropped at the last minute due to a fitness concern, the sad fact is that the better team on the day won. Real Sociedad have not been having the best of seasons, but they chose this game to send out a statement, and most of the chances, and certainly the best ones, were created by the home team. Today was Real Sociedad’s day. And it wasn’t Barça’s.

Denied by VAR

FC Barcelona have been the offside kings this season, but there was a taste of their own medicine early in this game when despite a stratospheric pass from the face-masked Pau Cubarsí and a terrifically opportunistic finish from Robert Lewandowski, the VAR room seemed to have picked something up. It was hard to tell what the problem might have been, but technology determined that the Pole had been a toe’s length out of place.

Becker blow

On a slippery surface after the rain in San Sebastian, Barça weren’t as clinical have we have grown used to seeing them. Iñaki Peña had already been kept busy before he was beaten on 33 minutes, Surinamese international Sheraldo Becker converting Luka Sucic’s headed assist.

Real had only won one game at home all season, but from the way they were playing today, it was hard to see how. The frequency with which they were breaking through Barça’s defensive lines was deeply troubling, with the ‘Japanese Messi’ Takefusa Kubo causing all kinds of headaches and Iñigo Martinez in particular doing a wonderful job of cleaning up at the back.

As the game wore on Barça could perhaps count themselves more and more fortunate that they were only trailing by a single goal, for the home side had several extremely clear chances and plenty of half-chances too.

Real hold on

Meanwhile, although the Catalans have been splitting defences apart at a relentless rate in recent weeks, Real were keeping things very solid at the back, aided by the fact that Barça’s final passes and shooting were lacking the sharp finesse that we’ve grown so happily used to of late. In fact, it was the first time since 2014 that Barça had not had a single shot on target, and the first time in 30 games that they had failed to score.

Hansi Flick has been warning us for weeks that we shouldn’t expect the same brilliance in every match. There will be exceptions. Sadly, this was proving to be one of them.

Barça were tiring but still doggedly determined to salvage something and as Real retreated into defence the final minutes were a constant onslaught on Álex Remiro’s goal. Both sides were throwing 101% into the exasperating endgame, but try as they could, Barça couldn’t muster the goal they needed. Instead, they're going into the international break off only the second defeat of the Liga season.