PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG’S early goal proved enough as Barcelona sealed a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday to tighten their grip on a top-four finish in La Liga.
But Barca’s run-in could be hampered after their defence was almost completely wiped out by injuries at Anoeta, with Dani Alves, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Pique all going off with problems while Jordi Alba appeared to play on in discomfort.
Victory leaves Xavi Hernandez’s side second, six points clear of Real Betis in fifth, with a game in hand, and two ahead of Atletico Madrid in fourth. Atletico were held to a goalless draw by Granada on Wednesday.
Sevilla sit third after they held on for a 3-2 win away at Levante, Tecatito scoring twice in Valencia.
Real Sociedad might have had an outside chance of joining the race for the top four if they had beaten Barcelona but defeat surely leaves them looking to secure a spot in the Europa League. They are six points behind Atletico in fourth.
Aubameyang’s goal was his 11th for Barca since he joined the club in January and this one was particularly important, with his team eager to overturn an unexpected dip in form.
Xavi challenged his players on Wednesday to escape the “negative dynamic” after back-to-back defeats by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Cadiz at Camp Nou.
There was controversy off the pitch too, as Pique found himself in the middle of a media storm this week after leaked audio messages revealed unseemly conversations with the president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales.
The leak by El Confidencial reported how the federation negotiated 24 million euros in commission to be paid to Pique’s events company, Kosmos, in return for the Spanish Super Cup being moved to Saudi Arabia.
Pique’s early touches were whistled by the Real Sociedad crowd, who jeered again when the 35-year-old was substituted in the 82nd minute.
Alves had already gone off in the 66th and Araujo in the 55th, with Barca now crossing their fingers the problems are not serious.
The decisive moment, though, came in the 11th minute as Ousmane Dembele hit the post when left free in the area. The ball cannoned out and La Real looked safe to clear until Gavi robbed the ball back, chipped it to Ferran Torres, whose looping ball across allowed Aubameyang to nod in.
Real Sociedad might easily have grabbed an equaliser but kept running into the Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who enjoyed an inspired night in the Barcelona goal.
Alexander Isak went close while Alexander Sorloth missed La Real’s best chances, firing wide at the back post from Nacho Monreal’s cross and then taking too long after being picked out in the area by Adnan Januzaj.
Sorloth had another sight of goal late on, but his finish from the angle was brilliantly stopped by Ter Stegen, this time his left foot allowing Barca to hold on for an important victory.
Oh well that is okay then.
@Gillian Scully: They were proved innocent, what about Western Athletes on TUE’s from Wada?
@Alois Irlmaier: not proved innocent, just not proved guilty. Big difference.
Is the wording relevant? They found that they hadn’t benefited from it, does that mean they didn’t do it at all or they did it and failed?
Have lost interest in Olympic sport a long time ago. Don’t trust anything I see.
Great news !
Life bans are ridiculous they are hard to maintain in real courts of law, CAS/DRA once sports rulings impinge on natural justice they are in trouble. Blanket bans are politically motivated decisions, athletes are entitled to serve a time ban. Not that it means anything any way look at the persecution of the Munster Rugby player – crazy
Lee Evans said it best. Just let them all take drugs. Do the bobsled event by running down the track in about 4.5 seconds. I’d watch That!
@David O’Brien: yep . Just have 2 seperate events juiced vs clean and have a big event after to see if clean can beat juiced naturally.
@David O’Brien: They are as they are called TUE’s once that country pays a wad of cash to the right organisation, which Russia hasn’t.
Not sufficient evidence?? The head of the lab said there overwhelming amount. Of doping lol
@Chris Finn: Is that the same head who got US citizenship for saying that the Russian athletes took drugs and was set up in his own lab in the US. Why give him his own lab??? The same man who told athletes to drink the steroids in Martinis, that was funny as steroids are injected not mixed in alcohol that can change the steroid chemically. As well as sticking bottles in and out of holes in a wall where there was never any evidence of holes in the wall… But who cares about facts… They are Russian so they must have done something bad because the US tells us what to believe…
IOC in my view trying to save face, if Russia doesn’t play by U.S. political rules dictated by their own business lobbyists the U.S. will turn the West against Russia. The US has turned the Olympics into a political battle field while Western Athletes continue with their TUE’s where asthmatics are being used to win gold medals for countries over healthy athletes. The corruption in my view just blows my mind…