Barcelona beat Real Sociedad to go top of La Liga

• FC Barcelona came from behind to beat La Liga rivals Real Sociedad 2-1 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys
• Meanwhile, one of the biggest fixtures of the weekend ended with Atletico Madrid thumping Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid derby

On Sunday, FC Barcelona came from behind to beat La Liga rivals Real Sociedad 2-1 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The Catalans ended the weekend on top of the Spanish league standings following Real Madrid’s humiliating 5-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Sociedad took the lead in the 31st minute when Alvaro Odriozola slid to convert Ander Barrenetxea’s dangerous low cross into the box. However, Barca ensured they found the leveller before the break as Jules Kounde headed home Marcus Rashford’s well taken corner in the 43rd minute.

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Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick bolstered his attack at half-time, bringing on Dani Olmo. Lamine Yamal, who has been out for weeks due to the injury he sustained while on international duty, entered the pitch in the 57th minute. The 18-year-old, who finished runner-up at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony last week, made an immediate impact on his return as he found his way into the box and then gave an inch-perfect pass to Robert Lewandowski who completed the turnaround.

Yamal caused chaos in Real Sociedad’s opposition area throughout the second half, forcing multiple opposition players to mark him whenever he received the ball.

Sociedad almost scored the equalizer in the 80th minute when they snatched the ball from Kounde and went on counter. However, Takefusa Kubo was unable to complete the beautiful move as his effort hit the bar. About 30 second later, Barca had the chance to put the game to bed after a good move which ended with Lewandowski’s strike hitting the crossbar and then bouncing off the underside of the bar.

Nevertheless, the miss didn’t prove to be costly for the Catalans as they managed to successfully held on to their narrow lead and earn all three points. Flick’s side currently sit top of La Liga standings with 19 points after 7 matches. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad are 17th with only five points after 7 games this season.

Atletico Madrid Thrash Real Madrid 5-2

On Saturday, one of the biggest fixtures of the weekend ended with Atletico Madrid thumping Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid derby. It was the first time in nearly 75 years that Atletico had scored five against Real, with the last occasion being in November 1950 when they won 6-3.

Real Madrid were the favorites heading into Saturday’s clash considering they had won all their six opening league matches and the UEFA Champions League tie against Ligue 1 side Marseille.

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, have had a difficult start to the 2025-26 season. However, that didn’t seem to affect Diego Simeone’s side against Real as they took the lead inside 14 minutes when Robin le Normand headed home Giuliano Simeone’s cross.

Kylian Mbappe, who has been outstanding this season, levelled the scores eleven minutes later after making a beautiful run that was spotted by Arda Guler. Vinicius Junior’s low cross into the box met Guler, who then gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. However, the hosts found the leveller in first half’s stoppage time through Alexander Sorloth.

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Atletico then completed the comeback six minutes into the second half when Julian Alvarez scored from the penalty spot. The former Manchester City man then scored a stunning free-kick in the 63rd minute to give his side a 4-2 lead. Substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win for the hosts in stoppage time with a sublime finish to ensure his side collected all three points.