Barca snatch ‘inexplicable’ win at dominant Sociedad, Girona top Liga

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez expressed his astonishment at the unpredictability of football after Ronald Araujo’s last-minute goal secured an undeserved 1-0 victory for Barcelona against Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday.

Following their heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid in the previous weekend’s Clasico, Xavi’s team replicated the same agonizing feeling for Real Sociedad in San Sebastian.

Barcelona struggled to create scoring opportunities until the final moments, with goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen making vital saves to keep the game level. Araujo then sealed the win by heading in Ilkay Gundogan’s cross just seconds before the final whistle.

This victory elevated Barcelona to third place in the standings, two points above Atletico Madrid, who suffered a defeat to Las Palmas on Friday, and one point behind second-place Real Madrid, who will face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Prior to Barcelona’s win, Girona secured an impressive comeback victory, defeating Osasuna 4-2 and temporarily claiming the top spot in La Liga with a three-point lead over Real Madrid.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Xavi told Movistar after Araujo’s late goal. “Football can be inexplicable sometimes – last week, we deserved to win and ended up losing, and now, we don’t deserve to win, yet we still come out on top.”

Xavi also highlighted the impact of their previous defeat to Real Madrid, mentioning that the team was still affected by it during the match against Real Sociedad.

“Perhaps we were still experiencing a post-Clasico hangover… we didn’t have the intensity that we aimed for,” added Xavi.

The coach decided to include Robert Lewandowski in the Barca starting lineup following his return from injury as a substitute in the match against Madrid. However, Lewandowski had a quiet game, much like the previous weekend when Barcelona faced Real Madrid.

In the first half, Real Sociedad dominated the game, creating better chances, but failed to find the back of the net. Ter Stegen was kept busy from the very beginning, with Ander Barrenetxea testing him within the first 30 seconds of the game.

In the second half, Real Sociedad continued to control the game, but Barcelona showed more defensive stability, limiting the chances for Barrenetxea and Kubo.

Pedri made his comeback from injury in the second half, replacing Lewandowski and providing Barcelona with more control in midfield.

Barcelona had a chance to score in stoppage time when Pedri set up Gavi, but the opposing goalkeeper denied the midfielder’s shot. However, Araujo came to the rescue, scoring the winning goal at the right moment.

“These three points are crucial after the Clasico defeat, where we played well,” said Araujo in an interview with Movistar.

Real Sociedad’s loss pushed them down to sixth place, with Real Betis surpassing them after their victory against Mallorca.

“Overall, we were the better team, but we couldn’t convert our chances, and they capitalized on their only opportunity,” commented Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal.

– Girona on top –

Prior to the Barcelona match, Girona displayed an impressive comeback themselves, defeating Osasuna and taking the top spot in La Liga.

Ivan Martin opened the scoring for Osasuna, but Ante Budimir’s brace turned the game in their favor. However, Ukrainian duo Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov scored to secure victory for Girona, with Aleix Garcia adding a late goal to seal the win.

Girona coach Michel emphasized that his team is not competing with Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid, but rather with the other teams aspiring to secure a top-four spot.

“We are not in the same league as Barca, Madrid, and Atleti, but we will fight to be in the league of teams behind them,” said Michel. “That is my dream, to be in the league of teams like Real Sociedad, Athletic, and Rayo.”

In other matches, Real Betis comfortably defeated Real Mallorca 2-0 at home. French playmaker Nabil Fekir made his return from a knee ligament injury, appearing as a substitute for Betis after being sidelined since February.

Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo remained in the relegation zone after a late goal from Youssef En-Nesyri secured a 1-1 draw for Sevilla at Balaidos.

rbs/dmc/nf