Barcelona Falls to Real Sociedad Despite Rashford's Equalizer
Marcus Rashford came off the bench to score for Barcelona, but the La Liga leaders suffered a defeat in a thrilling match against Real Sociedad.
The England forward equalized with a header in the 70th minute in San Sebastian, marking his eighth goal in all competitions since joining on loan from Manchester United. This goal canceled out Mikel Oyarzabal's side-foot volley that had given Sociedad the lead.
However, Barcelona's joy was short-lived as Goncalo Guedes quickly restored Sociedad's advantage, scoring what would ultimately be the winning goal.
The match was filled with drama, including a penalty awarded to Barcelona that was later overturned, along with three disallowed goals and two shots from Dani Olmo that struck the post.
In the first half, Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong, and Lamine Yamal all had goals ruled out for offside before Oyarzabal scored with a stunning finish in the 32nd minute.
More excitement followed as Barcelona believed they had won a penalty deep into first-half stoppage time when Lamine Yamal was brought down by Igor Zubeldia. The referee initially awarded the penalty, but a VAR review overturned the decision due to an offside call.
After Olmo hit the post twice early in the second half, Barcelona substitute Robert Lewandowski had a header deflected onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Alex Remiro.
Rashford equalized shortly after coming on, but Guedes responded almost immediately, putting Sociedad back in front.
Barcelona had one last chance to level the score when Jules Koundé's header in the 85th minute struck the bar.
Sociedad finished the match with 10 men after Carlos Soler received a straight red card for a late challenge on Pedri in the 88th minute. Despite this, they held on for a victory, marking their second consecutive home win over Barcelona.
This defeat marks Barcelona's third loss of the league campaign, leaving them with 49 points from 20 matches, just one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, while Sociedad has moved up to eighth place in the standings.