Barcelona's title defence has taken a worrying turn, as Hansi Flick's side fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad. The Catalans had been on an incredible 12-match unbeaten streak but were undone by a spirited performance from their La Liga rivals in the rain-soaked Reale Arena.
The hosts took the lead against the run of play, courtesy of Mikel Oyarzabal's blistering volley after Gonçalo Guedes's cross found its way into Joan García's near post. Barcelona, however, were not deterred and pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, with goalscorer Marcus Rashford finally breaking the deadlock 20 minutes from time.
Despite equalising through Rashford, Barcelona's joy was short-lived as Real Sociedad regained their advantage just moments later, thanks to a mistake by goalkeeper García, who let Soler's shot rebound into Guedes, who made no mistake in slotting home.
The loss leaves Barcelona top of La Liga, but only a point ahead of Real Madrid. The Catalans' title defence is now hanging precariously in the balance, and questions will surely be raised about Flick's tactics and team selection going forward.
Meanwhile, Milan continue to stay in touch with Inter, as Niclas Füllkrug scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Lecce. The Swedish striker's late strike secured three points for the Rossoneri, who are now just two points behind their city rivals.
In other results, Paulo Dybala starred for Roma with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win at Torino, while Fiorentina beat Bologna 2-0 to record a deserved third victory in six matches. Eintracht Frankfurt have parted ways with head coach Dino Toppmöller after a string of bad games and poor defending.
As the title race continues to heat up, teams are starting to show signs of fatigue, and it's anyone's game now.
The hosts took the lead against the run of play, courtesy of Mikel Oyarzabal's blistering volley after Gonçalo Guedes's cross found its way into Joan García's near post. Barcelona, however, were not deterred and pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, with goalscorer Marcus Rashford finally breaking the deadlock 20 minutes from time.
Despite equalising through Rashford, Barcelona's joy was short-lived as Real Sociedad regained their advantage just moments later, thanks to a mistake by goalkeeper García, who let Soler's shot rebound into Guedes, who made no mistake in slotting home.
The loss leaves Barcelona top of La Liga, but only a point ahead of Real Madrid. The Catalans' title defence is now hanging precariously in the balance, and questions will surely be raised about Flick's tactics and team selection going forward.
Meanwhile, Milan continue to stay in touch with Inter, as Niclas Füllkrug scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Lecce. The Swedish striker's late strike secured three points for the Rossoneri, who are now just two points behind their city rivals.
In other results, Paulo Dybala starred for Roma with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win at Torino, while Fiorentina beat Bologna 2-0 to record a deserved third victory in six matches. Eintracht Frankfurt have parted ways with head coach Dino Toppmöller after a string of bad games and poor defending.
As the title race continues to heat up, teams are starting to show signs of fatigue, and it's anyone's game now.
what's goin on w/ hansi flick? his tactics seem all over the place rn. they had a 12-match unbeaten streak just last week and now they're losin' to sociedad at home? real madrid is closing in fast too... this title defense thingy might not be as solid as ppl thought 
meanwhile milan's on fire 
füllkrug's goal was so clutch against lecce i'm loving the swedish striker's form 
gotta say though eintracht frankfurt's decision to sack toppmöller early is a bit surprising, poor guy got done in by a string of bad games 
. their defense just fell apart at real sociedad 
. marcus rashford came out of nowhere with that goal lol but the question is... can they hold on? 
la liga is getting crazy and it's anyone's game now, including real madrid 
. And now their title defense is hanging by a thread? That's crazy! 
... they were so close to going undefeated but mistakes cost them. gotta wonder what Flick is gonna do next 
... teams are getting tired too, feels like we're in for a wild ride until the end of the season 
. Hansi Flick needs to rethink his team selection ASAP 
️. 12-match unbeaten streak, whoa... that's not gonna happen all by itself 
.
! He's on fire right now and he's literally carrying his team to wins 
️. Inter better step up their game or they're gonna get left behind 
, two goals and an assist? Unbelievable! And Fiorentina getting that third win in six matches, finally some consistency for them 
. The title race is heating up for real 
. One minute it's anyone's game, the next minute it's Barcelona vs Real Madrid 
. This is a huge wake-up call for Hansi Flick and the team 
. I do worry about Flick's tactics going forward though, Barcelona need to figure out how to shut down opponents like Mikel Oyarzabal. And what's up with García? 
Every time I try to read a news article, I end up with a bunch of random stuff below it that has nothing to do with the actual story. Like, who needs a summary of other teams' results in the middle of a match report? It's so annoying! 
. Hansi Flick needs to re-evaluate his tactics and team selection ASAP 
. They can't afford to drop points like that, especially with Real Madrid closing in 
.
. Milan and Inter are staying close to Barcelona, but they still have to catch them in the end 
. If teams can get the right players on the pitch at the right time, I think we'll see some exciting matches 
anyway, i'm a bit concerned about barcelona's title defence now. they need to figure out what went wrong and make some changes ASAP 
or else they might get left behind in the chase for that la liga title 
and milan are still in the mix now... inter, milan, Roma all fightin for that top spot 
- one wrong move and you fall off the title throne 
.
niclas fulkrug's goal was super clutch 
ficks gotta do somethin diff now 
I mean, 2-1 at home is unacceptable, especially when you're supposed to be the team on top right now 
... Niclas Füllkrug is on fire right now 
.