Yamal, Raphinha fire Barcelona back into second place with win against Real Sociedad

Barcelona reclaimed second place in La Liga with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Real Sociedad, courtesy of goals from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Facing a strong Real Sociedad side, Barcelona needed the win to keep their Champions League hopes within reach.

Real Sociedad started strongly, with Sheraldo Becker and Mikel Oyarzabal causing problems for Barcelona’s defense.

But despite the early showoff, they failed to convert their chances due to poor finishing and offside flags.

Barcelona then gradually found their way back into the game, and began applying pressure.

The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when Pedri set up Robert Lewandowski, who turned his marker and played Ilkay Gundogan in behind the defense.

Gundogan’s pass found Lamine Yamal, who slotted home confidently.

The second half saw both teams adopt a more direct approach, creating an end-to-end spectacle.

Real Sociedad had a brief period of dominance, with Brais Mendez narrowly missing the target after capitalizing on a Gundogan error.

However, it was Barcelona winger Raphinha who sealed their win, firing his spot kick into the bottom corner.

He accepted the yellow card in order to dedicate his goal to his home country Brazil, who are suffering a hard time due to flooding.