Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona – Spanish La Liga Review (Part 4)
As the second half kicked-off, none of the coaches decided to change their strategy. Both teams were happy with the way they performed in the first half. Barcelona were winning the game 1-0, while Real Sociedad were happy the way they were putting pressure
on their opponents.
The first opportunity of the second half came for Real Sociedad, who were trying their level best to score the equalising goal. A defensive mistake committed by Gabriel Milito found the ball falling perfectly for Mikel Aranburu.
The Real Sociedad player flicked the ball forward and decided to make a long range effort on goal. Even though the ball seemed to be finding the back of the net, it did not and a great opportunity was wasted by Real Sociedad.
The game slowed down after a few minutes but Barcelona were still posing a threat up front. Lionel Messi picked up the ball from the mid-field and dribbled past three Real Sociedad players before passing it towards Jeffren Suarez. The Barcelona star tried
to find the back of the net and shot the ball at the near post. However, the goalkeeper read his intentions perfectly and saved the shot to allow his team to remain in the game.
Jeffren and Messi again came close to scoring goals. The Argentinean tried to score from outside the box but Bravo caught the ball perfectly. Two minutes later, Jeffren decided to have a go from outside the 18-yard box, which was again well-blocked by Claudio
Bravo.
After a few minutes, Barcelona were totally shocked by the home team. A free kick won by Mikel Aranburu on the right flank, gave the hosts a chance to comeback in the match. The kick was well-taken and after Gabriel Milito failed to clear the ball, substitute
Diego Ifran took advantage and lobbed the ball over Jose Manuel Pinto, to give his side a life-line. The scores were level and despite dominating the game in the second half, Barcelona were in danger to loose the match.
The Spanish Champions found the back of the net during the 76th minute with the help of Gabriel Milito. However, Milito was waved off-side and the goal was disallowed. The replays showed that the decision taken by the referees was wrong and Barcelona
were robbed from a goal.
A few minutes later, substitute Javier Mascherano brought down Zurutuza inside the penalty area and the Catalans conceded a penalty. The chance was converted well by Xabi Prieto, who gave the home side a decisive 2-1 lead.
The Catalans lost the game and were not able to take all three points, playing away from home. With this loss, Barcelona still sits right points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish La Liga table.