The game: 0-1
FC Barcelona won by the narrowest of margins (0-1) on the lawn of Real Sociedad, in a meeting where Xavi’s players seemed feverish, especially defensively. Barça was however perfectly back in his match: after ten minutes of play, Ousmane Dembélé found the post. In the continuity of the action, the center of Ferran Torres found the head of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (11th).
After their great start, the Catalans seemed to have got their hands on the match, before gradually decreasing in intensity in favor of an increasingly enterprising Real Sociedad, who could have equalized without the clumsiness of their attackers (see elsewhere). Barça’s defense has rarely seemed so brittle this season, victim of the injury exits of Araujo and Dani Alves, as well as the physical limits of a borrowed Gerard Pique.
Capable of flashes on the counter-attacks, the Blaugrana attackers however struggled a lot to worry the Basque goalkeeper Alejandro Remiro (only one shot on target). A disappointing performance but enough to achieve valuable success in the final sprint in La Liga. FC Barcelona takes second place from Sevilla FC, winners earlier in the evening in Levante. For Real Sociedad, the Champions League is moving away: the Basques are sixth, six units behind Atlético, 4th.
The player: Aubameyang, him again
He had not scored for two meetings with Barça, an eternity for the Gabonese, who has been unstoppable since his arrival in Barcelona. Two matches lost, moreover, by the Catalans (Eintracht and Cadiz). Thursday evening, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the way to the goal, and Barça that of victory. With a close range header, the former Arsenal player rewarded his club’s good start. More discreet thereafter, he was replaced by Luuk de Jong at the end of the game. With the feeling, all the same, of the accomplished duty.
11
Pierre-Emerick has scored 11 goals in his last 14 appearances for Barca, as many as in the previous 34 meetings in all competitions. (Opt)
The Fact: Isak and Sorloth’s Misfires
We play the 43rd minute and Barça lead 1-0 when Alexander Isak blows Real Sociedad’s biggest chance in the first half. After a double one-two with the Norwegian Sorloth, Isak, although in an ideal position, crosses his shot too much and misses the target. Just after the break, this time it was Sorloth’s turn to miss his recovery one meter from goal, on receiving a deflected cross. Real’s luck has passed.