Welcome back to TalkBarca. Our topic for today is the Match Review of Real Sociedad vs FC Barcelona. The away side came into this game with high momentum. Ronald Koemann and his men are on a fine winning streak in La Liga. They won 4-1 against Huesca in their previous game before facing Real Sociedad. Therefore, the boys were pretty confident traveling to the Anoeta and their performance certainly showed that.
FC Barcelona won against Real Sociedad with a scoreline of 1-6. The team dominated the entire game and ended with the game with a huge statement that FC Barcelona is going for the title this season.
Here is the Match Review of the game discussing the first half and the second half individually.
REAL SOCIEDAD VS FC BARCELONA MATCH REVIEW
FIRST HALF
Ronald Koemann did not make a lot of changes to the starting lineup as compared to what he went with against Huesca. The team looked determined to win and seemed very confident. Anoeta is a tricky surface to play at because Sociedad is very strong there. However, the away game pressure did not seem to bother the Blaugranas at all. Sociedad was more focused on defending than attacking. As a matter of fact, FC Barcelona did not let the home side attack much either as the Blaugranas had the majority of the ball possession.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen was superb as well. Not only did he make an amazing save during the early moments of the game, but he acts like a true leader from the back. FC Barcelona was playing as a single unit and Sociedad had no idea how to break this force. FC Barcelona scored the first goal of the game in the 36th minute. It was Antoine Griezmann who opened the scoring for his team on his birthday. It was a brilliant overall play from Jordi Alba, and Lionel Messi. Alba crossed the ball to Dembele. However, Dembele could not connect his foot with the ball. Still, Antoine Griezmann was right behind his teammate and easily tapped the ball to the back of the net.
FC Barcelona did not seem to stop at this moment. The players wanted more and they attacked the team with even more aggression. Ter Stegen made a bad pass and gave it away Merino. However, the German International Goalkeeper washed off his mistake by making an amazing save. FC Barcelona continued to dominate the game and got its second goal in the 43rd minute. It was yet another amazing team play from the midfield as well as the attack. Frenkie De Jong and Busqi combined to pick up Lionel Messi who cleverly set up Sergino Dest in front of the goal and Dest made it 0-2.
The first half ended 0-2 and FC Barcelona was in total control of the game. FC Barcelona had a lot of momentum in this game and Real Sociedad seemed helpless against this Blaugrana force.
FIRST HALF: REAL SOCIEDAD 0-2 FC BARCELONA
SECOND HALF
FC Barcelona was already in the driving seat before they started the second half. The team came into the second half with way more intensity and desire to score more goals. The team began attacking right away and also made Sociedad desperate for possession. Sociedad had no other choice but to defend and the Blaugranas were making defending difficult for them too. FC Barcelona played as one single unit from the back to the front. The combination, chemistry, and awareness amongst the players were amazing.
Sergino Dest scored the third goal of the game and his second career goal in La Liga. Once again, FC Barcelona showed proper team play which leads to this goal as well. It did not take the visiting side a lot of time to register the 4th goal of the game. It took only 3-4 minutes after the 3rd goal for Lionel Messi to score the 4th of the game. Sergio Busquests showed his class after picking up Lionel Messi with the right-through ball. The Argentinean finished the ball at the back of the net without any effort.
Real Sociedad was completely damaged, however, Koemann’s men wanted to inflict more damage. Dembele finished a through pass from Messi too, but VAR denied the goal as offside. However, at the 71st minute, Dembele registered his name on the score sheet. The Frenchmen dribbled past 3 players and hit a strong shot at the bottom corner. Dembele probably scored the best goal of the game and this goal is going to help his confidence a lot. Barrenetxea scored one goal for Real Sociedad as well. However, it was nothing more than just a consolation goal and Real Sociedad know that this goal would be of no use to them.
FC Barcelona finished the game strongly as Lionel Messi scored his second and FC Barcelona’s sixth goal of the game. Barca ended the game very strongly and they have all the momentum they might need to challenge the league toppers Atletico Madrid for the first place.
FULL TIME: REAL SOCIEDAD 1-6 FC BARCELONA
CONCLUSION
FC Barcelona is the most in-form team in La Liga at the moment and they have created a serious statement after this win against Real Sociedad. It is all about staying consistent now.
Can FC Barcelona win La Liga this season?
