‘Yamal Injury’ Barcelona loses 0-1 to Sociedad… 7-game winning streak ends

▲Barcelona striker Pau Victor is disappointed after losing in the 13th round of the 2024-2025 Spanish La Liga between Barcelona and Real Sociedad on the 11th. (AFP/Yonhap News)

Barcelona, ​​who had been on a seven-game winning streak in official games, suffered a blow to Real Sociedad.

Barcelona lost 0-1 in the 13th round away game of the ‘2024-2025 Spanish La Liga’ against Real Sociedad held at the Estadio de Anoeta in San Sebastian, Spain at 5 am (Korean time) on the 11th.

Barcelona, ​​who had won seven consecutive games starting with the UEFA Champions League (UCL) match against Young Boys (Switzerland) on the 2nd of last month, was considered the strongest team in Europe. During this period, Barcelona, ​​led by the triangle of Roberto Lewandowski, Ramin Yamal, and Rafinha, scored 29 goals, showing an incredible scoring ability of over 4 goals per game.

However, on this day, Barcelona struggled without recording a single effective shot. Lewandowski found the net in the 12th minute of the first half, but as a result of video review (VAR), offside was declared in the previous situation, so he swallowed his disappointment.

Sociedad threatened Barcelona’s goal with the active penetration of Takefusa Kubo, who played as a right-wing attacker. In the 30th minute of the first half, Kubo beat two defenders on the right side and fired a left-footed shot, but unfortunately it headed straight towards the goalkeeper.

Sociedad, who was pushing Barcelona, ​​eventually succeeded in scoring first. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Sociedad’s defense cut off Barcelona’s goalkeeper Iñaki Peña’s short goal kick with a header, and Luka Susic followed it up with a header. Sociedad striker Sheraldo Becker finished the ball past Barcelona’s defenders and scored the first goal.

In extra time in the first half, Sociedad tried to score an additional goal during a counterattack, but Mikel Oyarzabal’s shot missed the goal and was unable to increase the lead.

Sociedad’s attack did not stop in the second half. In the 6th minute of the second half, Pau Kuvarsi’s sloppy ball handling led to Oyarzabal’s shot, but it was blocked by Peña’s fantastic save. Then, in the 8th minute of the second half, Becker slid in John Aramburu’s cross and shot, but it missed the goal slightly.

Rather, Barcelona’s goal almost came from Sociedad’s toes. In the 11th minute of the second half, Sociedad midfielder Martin Subimendi cleared Fermin Lopez’s cross and headed for his own goal. However, goalkeeper Alex Remiro blocked it with a fantastic dive to preserve the lead.

In the end, Barcelona was unable to tie the score, and the game ended 0-1. This ended their official winning streak at 7 games since losing 2-4 against Osasuna on September 29. On the other hand, Sociedad had two consecutive league wins.

For Barcelona, ​​it is unfortunate that Yamal, the core of the attack, is absent. Yamal, who won the 2024 European Football Championship (Euro 2024) held in June as a key player for the Spanish national team at the age of 17, is called the ‘second Lionel Messi’. With 5 goals and 7 assists in 11 league games this season, he is producing more than 1 attack point per game. With Yamal out, Barcelona’s attack lost much of its power and the absence was keenly felt. Yamal is scheduled to return at the end of November after the international break.

Barcelona, ​​with 11 wins and 2 losses (33 points), still maintained its lead in La Liga. However, the gap with 2nd place Real Madrid (27 points) narrowed to 6 points and they were allowed to catch up.