Barcelona chokes against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid gets golden opportunity

FC Barcelona had an eventful evening while visiting Real Sociedad in Matchday 17 of the Spanish La Liga. The Catalans had been tied on points at the top of the table with bitter rivals, Real Madrid CF, for the past several weeks. However, Barcelona could potentially drop behind Los Blancos after only managing a 2-2 draw last night.

Real Sociedad drew first blood from the spot in the 12th minute. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty, which was awarded after Sergio Busquets fouled Diego Llorente. Antoine Griezmann scored the equaliser for Barcelona in the 38th minute.

The reigning La Liga champions looked like they were starting to take control of the game after Lionel Messi gave Luis Suarez a generous assist just after the restart. However, the hosts were undaunted. Alexander Isak showed composure as he took advantage of a shot that was parried straight into his path by an outstretched Marc-Andre ter Stegen. His goal made it 2-2, but the intensity of the match kept getting higher.

There were opportunities on both ends of the pitch. Gerard Pique attempted a header that was kept out by quick defending from the home side. Real Sociedad looked more dangerous in the closing minutes as Martin Ødegaard showed off his impressive playmaking abilities. The loanee from Real Madrid showed his employers that they should be making room for him very soon, if they want to stamp their dominance over their archrivals.

After sharing points with Real Sociedad, Barcelona now stands with 35 points, just one point ahead of Real Madrid. Valencia will be hosting Real Madrid on Sunday evening and if Los Blancos emerge victorious, they will be taking the top spot of La Liga just days ahead of the much-anticipated El Clasico.

The first El Clasico of the 2019/20 La Liga season has been postponed due to civil unrest in Barcelona. It has been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 18. However, concerns about the security of the players and spectators continue to be raised. It remains to be seen if the match will push through at the Camp Nou laster this week.