Barcelona vs Real Sociedad, summary: Lewandowski goal, score, goals & highlights | LaLiga Santander 22/23
Barcelona vs Real Sociedad: as it happened
Signing off...
That's all for the coverage of FC Barcelona 1-2 Real Sociedad.
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Joe
You don't blame them!
Real Sociedad were great today, and I'm sure nobody will be too angry at Barcelona for their performance today (except perhaps Xavi).
Cargando...
Busquets lifts the trophy!
What a huge moment for Barça's players, Xavi Hernández, Joan Laporta and the fans.
Trophy presentation imcoming...
FC Barcelona's players are about to be presented with the LaLiga trophy and will parade it round the Camp Nou pitch.
Full-time:
La Real were well worth the win at Camp Nou tonight, and deserved the three points. Barça struggled to create clear chances and the away defence managed to keep them away from goal with a solid display at the back.
Sørloth, who has been awarded the MVP award, ran his legs off and the changes from Imanol kept the pressure on the away side, who managed to get a goal towards the end.
The away side move one step closer to European football, which would be a huge boost for them financially and emotionally; they also break a 24-game losing streak at this stadium.
Full-time!
Real Sociedad record an historic win at Camp Nou and move one step closer to European football!
Barça, however, with the league title already wrapped up, won't mind so much.
Lewandowski runs the risk of a red card after he reacts furiously to giving away a 'foul' on the edge of the box.
We're into the final minute of the game.
Real Sociedad's tactics are now fairly simple: whack the ball 40 yards forward every time they smell it.
Real Sociedad defend well as Ansu and Lewandowski link up on the edge of the box, with the move ending after a shot from the Polish forward is blocked and cleared away.
5 added minutes.
Barça fans want the equaliser!
The cross comes flying in from the right side and Lewandowski jumps highest to smack a fireball of a header into the back of the net!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
LEWANDOWSKI FINALLY PUTS AWAY A CHANCE
We're into the last minute of the game and Barça are still huffing and puffing their way into the final third.
Pablo Marín gets through after a nice ball from Merino, but is forced to hit the shot on his left foot and it flies over the bar.
Lewandowski with a lovely flick around the corner almost sees Pablo Torre played in behind, but the away team's defence is, yet again, ready to deal with the danger and clear.
Pablo Torre ON
Dembélé OFF
La Real are looking for more and look very lively when the ball gets into their attacking half. Barça have been caught out by a few nice passing sequences over the past minute or so.
Eric ON
Busquets OFF
Ferran's touch was not enough to guide the ball away from Remiro, who did well to come out and collect the ball over the top of the La Real defence.
TER STEGEN WITH A HUGE SAVE
What amazing strength from the German!
Rico's shot from inside the box was ferocious and the goalkeeper made sure that the score stayed at 2!
Carlos Fernández and Pacheco ON
Sørloth and Zubeldia OFF
Ten minutes to go.
Changes for the away side are coming up.
Alonso and Kubo both booked
Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other as the two players push and shove and come away with yellow cards.
Kubo is down, holding his face. The referee has a yellow card in his hand.
No foul given as Lewandowski goes to ground after a vital challenge from Zubeldia on the striker to stop him from getting in behind on his own. Fantastic defending.
Pablo Marín ON
Barrenetxea OFF
De Jong has a shot that is skied high and wide. Barça look frustrated.
A quick VAR check for a potential foul on De Jong - nothing given and we move on.
A fantastic counter-attack.
The ball was won the in the middle third from Zubimendi, who played to Take. The winger ran at the Barça defence, twisting left then right before playing in Rico on the left side.
The defender squared the ball to Sørloth who, on his own in the box, took a touch and slotted away underneath Ter Stegen.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
SØRLOTH SCORES THE SECOND FOR LA REAL
Barça have had a positive few minutes here, although every time Kubo gets the ball, the levels of fear rise in the stands.
A bit of a mix up as Alba fires a rocket from the edge of the box which is blocked into the path of Ansu.
The forward goes to tap the ball inside the box, but the presence of Remiro in goal causes him to doubt and, as a result, the ball bounces out of play.
WHAT A CHANCE FOR SØRLOTH!
The striker got on the end of Kubo's fabulous cross but headed wide from just a yard out!
Take Kubo breaks away down the right side and wins a free-kick on the edge of the box for Real Sociedad.
Barça have moved into a 4-2-3-1 with Ferran just behind Lewandowski and Ansu on the left side of attack.
Dembélé looks to have moved over to the right side: he's a happy boy now.
Ansu and Ferran ON
Raphinha and Kessié OFF
Raphinha tries to speed things up and whips in a tasty looking cross that La Real's defenders see out for a goal kick. Changes incoming for Barça...
Three players in blue and white shirts have slipped over in the past minute, the latest being Sørloth, who looked like he fell very awkwardly.
Zubledia clears a dangerous ball that was played in behind; Lewandowski was chasing it down like an energy-drink-fuelled Labrador.
Sørloth has a great chance to play Kubo in behind instantly after coming on, but he takes the ball inside before standing on it and losing possession. A wasted opportunity.
Take and Gorosabel ON
Cho and Illarra OFF
Barça chance!
Dembélé traps Raphinha's cross on the left, takes a touch onto his left foot and smacks a shot wide of the near post.
Close from La Real!
Sørloth opens up to Rico on the left, whose shot/cross flies across goal but the striker can't get there quickly enough to get a leg out to reach the ball.
La Real go on the attack with Barrenetxea, who loses out to Dembélé. The Frenchman flies away down the other end of the pitch and is tripped by Artiz.
Good news: Le Normand is up and looks OK to continue, but the replay shows that it was a potentially naughty shove from the Barça striker.
The centre-back is receiving treatment on the pitch.
Le Normand is downholding his neck after clashing with Lewandowski.
88, 049 people at Camp Nou tonight, as both teams still push each other back.
Raphinha tries his luckfrom - I'm not joking here - about 40 yards out. The ball goes nowhere near the goal and is blocked before entering the box.
A big chance goes begging for the away side as Sørloth is caught in an offside position and sees a pass roll right past him inside the box.
Ansu Fati is warming up for FC Barcelona.
Barça have started brightly...
Rico does well to recover the ball on the spin as it is fired long towards Raphinha.
Lewandowski wins it back in the next phase on the edge of the box but ex-Madrid man Illarramendi hoofs the ball away from the danger zone.
Marcos Alonso is playing centre-back alongside Christensen. It's still Balde and Alba on the flanks.
Here we go for the second half!
Barça kick off the second 45 minutes at Camp Nou.
Marcos Alonso ON
Koundé OFF
We're not underway just yet, as the substitutes are still warming up on the pitch... both teams are waiting in the tunnel.
Almost ready to go for the second half!
The players are coming out onto the pitch and we're ready for the second 45 - can Barça turn the game around or will Real Sociedad continue their marvellous performance?
Barça fans, if you want cheering up, here's a hilarious piece on Cristiano Ronaldo's son wearing the shirt of the blaugrana, which has set certain corners of the internet on fire, as you might imagine.
All good things must come to an end...
Will we see this huge winning run finish today at Camp Nou?
Cargando...
Half-time report:
A brilliantly entertaining first 45 minutes there, with the two teams matching each other all across the pitch.
La Real took the lead early on thanks to a great bit of play from Sørloth, who has arguably been the best player on the pitch for the away side today, and has constantly caused problems with brilliant runs behind the defence.
Barça have had their moments, with the two clearest chances falling for Kessie, who is not a proven goalscorer. Apart from that, it has been up to Dembélé to provide a spark and he has in various moments, so we will see if it continues for the second half or whether Xavi will mis things up to make sure the candles don't get blown out too quickly at the Camp Nou party.
Half-time!
No added minutes from the Señor referee and that's half-time!
Cho steals the ball from Raphinha, who trips over his own feet. Sørloth is played through but Kounde does well to cover. A half chance for La Real.
Barça are ending the half in a strong position, and have La Real pinned back into their own box. Dembélé looks the most likely to make something happen.
Dembélé's diagonal cross is too high for Raphinha, who has now moved over to the left side of attack in an effort to switch things up.
I have no dog in this fight, but Real Sociedad left-back, Diego Rico, has thrown the ball to Barça players on what must be three separate occasions now. It's incredibly frustrating to watch.
Gasps from the crowd as Remiro gets two strong hands on Raphinha's corner that looks as though it might sneak in at the front post.
Barça go close as Dembélé invents some wonderful skill to beat 2 players before threading a nice pass through the line, which Remiro comes out to collect as Raphinha chases it down.
Back underway
Kessie looks OK to carry on.
Kessie down
He's hollding his shin/ankle and the referee has stopped the game.
Sørloth is such a curious footballer: he does not look quick and moves his body very slowly, in a manner that is almost lumbering. But he routinely gets past his opponents by sheer force of will and force of... leg.
The ball was slipped through another huge gap in the Barcelona defence and the midfielder went for what would have been an extraordinary chip over Ter Stegen... which landed on the roof of the net.
Barça look shellshocked and will be glad they've got the league already won.
BARRENETXEA COMES CLOSE
La Real are running things at Camp Nou!
Sørloth is finding all sorts of space behind Balde, and this time he was fed the ball brilliantly well and burst into the gap behind the right-back.
His cross was great and Cho's shot flew towards goal, but somehow Ter Stegen got a huge leg to the ball!
HUGE SAVE FROM TER STEGEN
CHO CAME SO CLOSE TO SCORING THE SECOND!
REAL SOCIEDAD CHANCE!
What a run from Elustondo, who turned into prime Cafu for a second. He barged his way through a million challenges and put a wonderful ball across goal, which was saved by Ter Stegen.
The winger took his time in finding the space to put the cross in, but after a few step-overs, the ball was fired in towards the Polish forward, who jumped awkwardly and saw his header spin high over the bar.
HUGE CHANCE FOR LEWANDOWSKI
Raphinha's cross is headed over from close range!
A strange moment as Sørloth is allowed in behind the home side's defensive line, all alone. He shapes to shoot from a tight angle, but Kounde jumps in to stop the ball from flying towards Ter Stegen.
Free-kick for Barça: Raphinha or Lewandowski to take from a decent central position.
Over the bar! I'm sure he scores them in training.
Dembélé misses a big chance to do damage after he burned past his marker on the left... but for some reason he decided to pass the ball calmly into the hands of a grateful Remiro in goal. Strange.
I know you were thinking it, so here you go.
Can Barça still make the clean sheet record after that Merino goal?
Or do they no longer have the cleanest sheets in all the land?
Barça have come to life over the past 5 minutes, with Real Sociedad helping the champions out greatly in providing them with silly mistakes upon which they can pounce.
BARÇA COME CLOSE AGAIN
De Jong made a gorgeous run in behind and received the ball over the top before playing across goal, but the defence stood strong and scooped the ball away from goal before Dembélé could get a toe on the pass.
OK, I'll explain:
Chance 1: Raphinha stole the ball inside the box and played to Lewandowski down the line, who crossed to Kessie, but his header was saved fantastically well by Remiro's foot.
Chance 2: Seconds later, the ball landed with Kessie again after a ncie cut-back, who fired a low shot just wide from close range. Barça have turned on the style.
AND ANOTHER HUGE CHANCE FOR BARÇA!
KESSIE MISSES FROM CLOSE RANGE
HUGE SAVE FROM REMIRO
That was a chance!
Barça have a chance (?) as Alba fires a cross high and wide over the bar. OK, on second thought, it wasn't a chance.
The away side are pressing Barça well in the opening stages, and we've already had a few minutes where they are struggling to create attacking moves from deeper positions.
A few long balls have been fired over towards Raphinha in order to skip the midfield squeeze.
Curiously, Kessie is the highest midfielder for Barcelona, and he's pressing in a very high position, almost standing on the twinkle toes of Zubimendi.
Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil is a very angry figure on the sidelines right now. No idea why, as his team have been much better than Barcelona in the opening minutes.
Barça with a free-kick on the edge of the box... and they want a penalty!
Raphinha's cross bounced off a defender and the home team believe it was a hand. Nothing given (the replay shows it hit the player on the stomach).
Zubeldia booked
Igor Zubledia sees an early booking for his naughty challenge.
Dembélé is brought down by Zubeldia after the French winger broke away at pace and was clattered by the defender.
We're back underway... and Real Sociedad want more!
A quick VAR check is over for a possible foul. Nothing wrong with Sørloth's challenge.
Sørloth picked Kounde's pocket on halfway and ran down the left channel before squaring the ball to Mikel Merino, who smacked a shot past Ter Stegen to put La Real 0-1 up!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
REAL SOCIEDAD LEAD AT CAMP NOU
Real Sociedad break away from Barça's press with some nice work from Merino and then Barrenetxea. No slouches, those boys.
Remember, there is no David Silva for Real Sociedad today due to injury, which is a huge loss.
So far, it's been Barça with the lion's share of the ball, and they're comfortable to play it around the back and keep La Real away.
Campeones, campeones ringsout around the stadium, as you may imagine.
The doubts in Xavi's XI are cleared up as it's Balde at right back, with Dembélé at left-wing.
And we're off!
Real Sociedad kick the game off from right to left.
A reminder of the starting XIs:
Barça: Ter Stegen; Balde, Christensen, Kounde, Alba; Kessie, De Jong, Busquets; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
La Real: Remiro; Rico, Le Normand, Zubledia, Aritz; Illarra, Zubimendi, Merino, Barrene; Cho, Sørloth
Here come the players
A huge applause from the crowd as Real Sociedad give the league champions a guard of honour.
Ready to go!
The players are in the tunnel and ready to go!
Alemany on why he chose to stay at FC Barcelona:
After a personal reflection, I saw that Barça is the biggest club in the world.
Aston Villa have an impressive project and one of the best managers in Europe. But I'm committed to Barcelona.
Quick-fire stats:
- Barcelona have won 24 consecutive home games against La Real
- Real Sociedad have not lost in 5 LaLiga games
- The last time Barcelona lost against Real Sociedad was in 2016
In other news, Arsenal have just lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, which means that Manchester City have won the Premier League under ex-Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola. It is their 3rd league title in a row.
Meanwhile, LaLiga has had 3 different league winners in 3 seasons...
The clock is ticking...
Both teams are now out on the pitch doing their pre-match warmups.
The ground is slowly filling and there is definitely a party atmosphere in here tonight, with huge smiles and hugs all over the stadium.
Not long to go!
We've got just over half an hour to go until kick-off and the two teams are out inspecting the Camp Nou pitch, which looks absolutely delightful in the late-afternoon sun...
Cargando...
Barcelona's league win is uber-important from a sporting point of view, as gives validity to Xavi's project and allows potential targets to see the growth of the team as it returns to the top level of football after a few years away.
However, it also gives a huge boost to their financial situation, as the can that Laporta had kicked down the road with his famous 'levers' last summer, has come back to bite them.
Barcelona are set to sign a new sponsorship deal that would see BEKO removed from their shirt sleeves and replaced with Philips, the electrical brand.
Barça's incredible defensive record
Barça are on the verge of beating the record held by José Mourinho’s Chelsea, who conceded just 15 goals in the 2004/05 league season.
The Spanish team have currently conceded 13 goals this season and have four games to go.
Ter Stegen's form has saved the side on many occasions this season, and for me, he might even be Barcelona's player of the year.
Cargando...
Real Sociedad XI:
Remiro
Aritz - Zubeldia - Le Normand - Rico
Zubimendi - Illarra - Merino - Barrene
Cho - Sørloth
Cargando...
Barcelona may have won the league, but they have plenty of records and objectives still up for grabs in what remains of the season.
Take a look at what lies ahead for Barcelona if they keep up their stellar league season.
Changes in the Barcelona starting XI:
Ter Stegen
Balde - Kounde - Christensen - Alba
Kessie - Busquets - De Jong
Raphinha - Lewandowski - Dembélé
Cargando...
And, of course, remember that you can watch the game on TV or online as well as follow this extremely exciting and informative live coverage.
Here's all the info on how to watch in whatever country you're in on planet Earth.
Xavi pre-match comments:
I’d imagine that a lot of culés will be very happy. For professionals, those of us on the inside, the gauge is seeing the people out on the street happy and full of enthusiasm. Seeing that excitement is something you can’t buy. For us, all we are interested in is doing things well. I wouldn’t change those moments for anything. And you need to remember where we were this time last year. We’ve won the league, the Super Cup… Right now, I wouldn’t change any of that for anything.
I was surprised to see so many people [at the open top bus parade], but when you think about it, it’s understandable because we hadn’t won any silverware for four years. So there was a real desire to put that right. This club is pure passion, we have generated excitement and the people have taken to the street. A lot of suffering went into winning this league and it was the moment to celebrate it.
Has this been your happiest week? Yes. I was also very happy when we won the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia because that brought us calm and with that, stability. It’s been a magical week. I would like to congratulate the president for having a competitive team. And the players, who are the real protagonists.
Do you think Barça have had a better season than Real Madrid?
Feel free to write that if you want to. We’ve had a great season but the only rating we do is among ourselves, not others. There’s no point making comparisons with other teams.
So, as you are aware, Barcelona were crowned league champions last week after overcoming city rivals Espanyol 2-4.
Here's the minute-by-minute coverage of just how they did it.
The players have arrived!
In what is quickly becoming a fashion show, the Barça players have arrived at Camp Nou in what can only be described as 'interesting' choices of clothing.
Cargando...
How the table looks...
While the game will obviously have no impact on FC Barcelona's season, the points could be huge for the away side, who are fighting to keep Villarreal away from the famous 4th place in the league.
La Real go into the game just 2 points ahead of the Yellow Submarine so a positive result at Camp Nou is vital to keep things in their own hands.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 71 | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 69 | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 |
| 4 | 62 | 34 | 18 | 8 | 8 |
| 5 | 60 | 35 | 18 | 6 | 11 |
| 6 | 55 | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 |
Barça back at Camp Nou
The league champions are returning home after winning the league last week at Espanyol's ground.
The party will start long before the first whistle goes and there's a strong likelihood that the same fiesta from last week is still ongoing!
Cargando...
Welcome!
Hello and welcome along to AS USA's live coverage of the LaLiga Santander game between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad!
It's Joe here to guide you through the ups and downs at Camp Nou in what is sure to be a fascinating match between two great teams!