With assists from Ilkay Gündogan and a strong Marc-Andre ter Stegen, FC Barcelona secured a flattering away win in the Spanish LaLiga.
A week after the defeat in the Clasico against Real Madrid, the Catalans won 1-0 (0-0) at Real Sociedad San Sebastian on Saturday (November 4th, 2023) and climbed to third place – four points behind the new leaders FC Girona.
In San Sebastian, the reigning champions were unimaginative for long stretches – even though Barca coach Xavi had probably fielded his strongest team from the start. Also there was Robert Lewandowski, who returned to the starting line-up after an injury break.
But the hosts dominated the game, and it was mainly thanks to national goalkeeper ter Stegen that the guests kept a clean sheet. In stoppage time, Ronald Araujo (90+2) turned the game on its head after a cross from Gündogan.
Girona conquers the top of the table
Girona proved to be much more dangerous in terms of goalscoring, the surprise team of the season moved past Real Madrid to the top of the table, at least for one night, thanks to a 4:2 (1:1) away win at CA Osasuna. The guests turned around a temporary 1:2 deficit with three goals from the 71st minute onwards.
However, Real can regain first place with a win against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening.