FC Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad: Carnival kings
FC Barcelona have ensured another week in pole position in the Liga table after seeing off Real Sociedad to the comfortable tune of a 4-0 win at the Estadi Olimpic on Sunday.
In a game every much conditioned by a red card that meant the visitors were a man down from the 20th minute, once Barça started scoring the three points never looked even remotely under threat.
The result leaves them two points clear of Atlético Madrid, while Real Madrid, who lost at Betis on Saturday, are now four points adrift.
Next weekend, Barça have home advantage again, this time against Osasuna in a Saturday 9pm CET kick-off.
Aritz off
Real Sociedad hadn’t come to Barcelona to mess around, and within the first 20 minutes had already scored one goal and hit the crossbar, albeit both times from offside positions.
Barça weren’t having it all their own way, but the whole scheme of things changed when Aritz Elustondo was red carded with well over an hour of football still to be played. Dani Olmo was clean through on goal when the visiting defender shoved him to the ground and the referee had no option but to send the player off.
Two first-time scorers
Enjoying the one-man advantage, Lamine Yamal danced around the Real defence before Olmo flicked a lovely assist over to Gerard Martin, who was thus able to celebrate his first ever goal as a professional footballer.
And before the first half hour was up, another Barça player got his first ever taste of scoring for Barça. Real keeper Álex Remiro punched a corner straight into the path of Dani Olmo. The latter’s shot wasn’t his best but it deflected off Marc Casadó and in off the post, utterly foiling Remiro...
And that was 2-0 and today’s three points already looked more than safe.
Three and four
More goals were likely, and shortly after Pedri had rattled the ball against bar, Ronald Araujo headed in his first goal since returning from injury, getting sweetly on the end of the rebound following Robert Lewandowski’s original shot.
Moments later, the same two players were involved in goal number four. The Uruguayan stuck from long range and the Pole managed to get his foot on the ball to thwart Remiro and claim what is already his 11th goal of 2025.
Thoughts turn to Europe
Barça were comfortably ahead and with a big game against Benfica to come on Wednesday understandably took their foot of the accelerator. In turn, resigned to defeat in this one, Real’s minds were undoubtedly already drifting to their own European date with Manchester United.
Hence, the game petered out to a somewhat muted end, with Barça chasing more goals, but without the usual urgency. The job was already done.
Another week at the top of the league… and with a trip to Lisbon next on the agenda.
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