Rashford Strikes but Barcelona Fall in Dramatic Defeat at Real Sociedad

Marcus Rashford marked another important moment in his Barcelona loan spell by scoring off the bench, but his goal was not enough as the La Liga leaders suffered a dramatic defeat away to Real Sociedad in an incident-packed clash in San Sebastian.

The England forward came on to head home a 70th-minute equaliser, his eighth goal in all competitions since joining Barcelona. His strike cancelled out a superb opener from Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal, who had put the hosts ahead with a side-foot volley in the 32nd minute.

However, Barcelona’s joy was short-lived. Less than a minute after Rashford’s header, Real Sociedad regained the lead when Goncalo Guedes struck what proved to be the winning goal, finishing off a breathless spell of play.

The match was filled with controversy and near-misses, particularly for the visitors. Inside the opening half-hour, Barcelona had three goals ruled out for offside, with efforts from Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong and Lamine Yamal all chalked off. Dani Olmo then came agonisingly close early in the second half, hitting the post twice in quick succession in the 47th and 49th minutes.

More drama followed when Barcelona were initially awarded a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time after 18-year-old Yamal went down under a challenge from Igor Zubeldia. The referee pointed to the spot, but a VAR review overturned the decision due to another offside in the build-up.

After the break, Robert Lewandowski saw a powerful header pushed on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Alex Remiro, adding to Barcelona’s frustration. Even after Guedes restored Sociedad’s lead, the visitors continued to push. Jules Kounde’s 85th-minute header crashed against the bar, their fourth effort to strike the woodwork on the night.

Sociedad finished with 10 men when Carlos Soler was shown a straight red card in the 88th minute for a late challenge on Pedri, but the hosts held firm through nine minutes of added time to secure victory at home against Barcelona for the second successive season.

The defeat is Barcelona’s third league loss of the campaign and leaves them on 49 points from 20 games, just one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid. Sociedad, meanwhile, climb to eighth in the table after a memorable night in San Sebastian.