Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad 4-0, reclaiming the top spot in La Liga. The match turned early due to Aritz Elustondo’s red card, allowing Barcelona to dominate. Goals came from Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo, and Robert Lewandowski, who leads the league with 21 goals this season. Coach Hansi Flick stressed the team’s goal to compete for titles in La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. Barcelona’s performance was bolstered by effective playmaking and an offside trap that thwarted Sociedad’s attempts. Araujo, back from injury, expressed pride in the team’s effort and competitive spirit.
Barcelona achieved a decisive 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday, reclaiming the top spot in La Liga. An early red card for Aritz Elustondo allowed Hansi Flick’s team to enjoy a relatively easy game, with Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Ronald Araujo, and Robert Lewandowski finding the net. On Saturday, Atletico Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao, temporarily displacing the Catalans from first place, while Real Madrid, currently third, fell to Real Betis. Flick managed to make some rotations in his lineup ahead of the Champions League last-16 clash against Benfica on Wednesday, allowing Barcelona to stay one point ahead of Atletico.
“Many factors contributed to our success today, including the red card and our performance—after that, we were in control,” Flick shared with reporters.
Before the match, the German coach expressed that Barcelona would compete fiercely for all three significant trophies this season, a sentiment he reiterated afterwards.
“We’re pleased with the three points, but there’s a long way to go in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League,” he added.
“We will strive for every title, and at the start of the season, nobody anticipated this outcome.”
“We find ourselves in a position to contend for trophies, and that’s our goal until the season concludes.”
Real Sociedad, currently ninth, initially posed a threat but fell victim to Barcelona’s offside trap, resulting in Sergio Gomez’s goal being disallowed.
At the opposite end, Barcelona’s playmaker Pedri Gonzalez nearly scored when he pressured La Real goalkeeper Alex Remiro, causing an attempted clearance to sail just over the goal and onto the roof of the net.
The momentum shifted in Barcelona’s favor when Elustondo received a red card in the 17th minute for bringing down Dani Olmo, who was making a run on goal.
Barcelona opened the scoring after 25 minutes when Olmo set up Martin to net his first career goal.
Just four minutes later, the hosts struck again, with Olmo once more involved; his misfired shot was deflected in by teammate Casado.
The lively Lamine Yamal set up Pedri, but Remiro managed to save his attempt from the edge of the box as Barcelona continued to dominate.
– ‘Happy to help’ –
Pedri nearly added to the score after halftime with a long-range shot that hit the crossbar shortly before Araujo slotted in the third goal.
Remiro could only parry Lewandowski’s header from a corner, allowing Araujo to convert the rebound.
Lewandowski then smartly netted Barcelona’s fourth by tapping in Araujo’s low drive from outside the box.
The 36-year-old is the league’s top scorer with 21 goals in 25 appearances.
“I’m very pleased with our performance. Winning and returning to the top spot was vital,” Araujo told Movistar.
“I’m delighted with the excellent work we put in and being back in first place.”
Since returning from a serious knee injury, Araujo has struggled to regain a permanent position in the defense.
“Having come back from a long-term injury, I’m taking it one step at a time, believing in myself and my skills, and I’m happy to contribute,” said Araujo.
“It’s essential to have a competitive team to win titles—not just 11 players but a strong bench as well.”
Barcelona played the last half an hour without any major incidents, occasionally threatening, with substitute Ferran Torres coming close to scoring a fifth on two occasions.
“The red card changed the game completely; we aimed to dominate possession,” noted Real Sociedad defender Javi Lopez.
“A sending-off alters everything… They also had some luck with their goals, which makes it exceedingly challenging against one of the top teams in the world.”
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