Barcelona maintain perfect record with battling victory over Real Sociedad

Sport360 staff 21:43 15/09/2018
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  • Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele scored in quick succession as Barcelona extended their 100 per cent start to the season by coming from behind to win 2-1 at Real Sociedad.

    Having fallen behind in the 12th minute via Aritz Elustondo’s strike, Barca turned things around in the second half, Suarez converting from close range in the 63rd minute and Dembele adding a deflected finish three minutes later.

    It makes it four wins from four games in LaLiga so far this term for Ernesto Valverde’s defending champions.

    The victory prior to this had been the 8-2 thrashing of Huesca at the Nou Camp – a game in which Barcelona had gone 1-0 down early on.

    And it happened again at the redesigned Anoeta Stadium as Hector Moreno got his head to a free-kick in the visitors’ box and the ball fell to Elustondo, who fired past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in fine fashion.

    Valverde’s men initially struggled to get much going in attack as they looked to respond until Gerard Pique headed wide from a corner in the 36th minute.

    Barca then had two penalty appeals turned down within in moments of each other, with VAR being used in both cases.

    Firstly Pique’s claim he had been fouled by Ruben Pardo was unsuccessful, and then Suarez’s protest that Moreno had been guilty of handball proved in vain.

    Moreno’s header was comfortably dealt with by Ter Stegen 10 minutes into the second half before Mikel Oyarzabal blasted over the Barcelona bar.

    And after Lionel Messi had an effort saved at the other end, Ter Stegen denied Theo Hernandez and then Juanmi.

    A minute later things were level as a corner came into the Sociedad box, Pique won a header and, with goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli unable to clear the ball, Suarez put it in.

    Philippe Coutinho, who had come on at the interval for Nelson Semedo, then brought an excellent save out of Rulli before Dembele notched Barca’s second.

    Rulli again failed to clear a corner and Dembele’s strike went in via a deflection.

    Messi sent a shot over with around 10 minutes to go, and Sociedad then had a great chance in the closing stages but Juanmi was unable to get his header on target.

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