Barcelona 4-0 Real Sociedad Player Ratings: Dominant Barca thrash Sociedad to hold their lead at the top

Barcelona put on a commanding performance at home, thrashing Real Sociedad 4-0 in a match that turned heavily in their favour early on. The match took a decisive turn in the 17th minute when Sociedad captain Aritz Elustondo was sent off for bringing down Dani Olmo as the last defender who was off on a quick counter.

The red card left the visitors with an uphill battle, and Barcelona wasted no time capitalizing on their numerical advantage. With Sociedad pinned back, Gerard Martin broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, latching onto a perfect assist from Olmo to fire home his first-ever senior goal for the club.

Barca doubled their lead when Marc Casado found the net, following another Olmo assist. The dominance continued after halftime, with Ronald Araujo heading home from a corner. Finally, Robert Lewandowski sealed the victory with a cheeky touch after Araujo’s shot was redirected into his path.

Youngster Lamine Yamal was a constant threat, creating numerous chances, while Ferran Torres and Pedri also came close to adding more. Sociedad struggled throughout, failing to register a single shot in the first half and barely threatening in the second.

Here are the Barcelona vs Real Sociedad Player Ratings.

Barcelona Player Ratings

GK- Wojciech Szczesny- 6/10

 Had little to do as Sociedad failed to register a shot on target. Commanded his area well.

RB- Jules Kounde- 7.4/10

The Frenchman was solid defensively and contributed well in build-up play.

CB- Pau Cubarsi- 7.2/10

The youngster put in a solid shift. He was composed as always and was subbed off for Eric Garcia.

CB- Ronald Araujo- 8.4/10

Scored a goal and assisted Lewandowski, dominant in both boxes and was substituted to manage minutes.

LB- Gerard Martin- 8.2/10

Scored his first senior goal with a fine finish and was a lively presence down the left.

CM- Marc Casado- 8.2/10

The young midfielder put in a tireless midfield shift and was lucky to score his first goal for Barca with a lucky deflection.

CM- Pedri- 7.8/10

Pulled the strings in midfield, was constantly asking questions from the Real Sociedad defence and hit the bar with a rocket of a shot.

AM- Dani Olmo- 8.8/10

Had an outstanding performance, registering two assists and forcing a red card for Sociedad.

LW- Lamine Yamal- 7.7/10

Yamal was electric on the right, showed class, played his part in multiple goals, and showed brilliant footwork.

RW- Raphinha- 6.6/10

Was lively but was subbed off; came close to scoring with a well-worked free-kick.

ST- Robert Lewandowski- 7.2/10

Clinical with his poacher’s finish and linked up well with his teammates but he could have done better in many areas.

SUB- Frenkie de Jong- 6.6/10

The experienced midfielder controlled the tempo of the game after coming on in the second half to stabilise the Barca midfield.

SUB- Ferran Torres- 6.2/10

The Spaniard missed a great chance in the final minutes of the game but remained a constant attacking threat.

SUB- Eric Garcia- 6.4/10.

The defender came on late and ensured defensive stability replacing the young centre back Pau Cubarsi.

SUB- Fermin Lopez- 6/10.

Almost assisted Ferran in the dying moments of the game and added energy in midfield with his fresh legs.

SUB- Héctor Fort- 6/10.

Had limited involvement but provided fresh legs at the back.

MANAGER- Hansi Flick- 9/10

Hansi Flick’s team showed a dominant performance, showcasing their attacking fluidity and defensive solidity. This was a statement win where his team tried to utilise and penetrate the 10-men Sociedad side and always looked like a threat going forward. The link-up play was spot-on in the attacking third and the young defence line didn’t let in any loose balls.

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Real Sociedad Player Ratings

GK- Alex Remiro- 3.5/10

Made some good saves but was beaten four times with little help from his defence.

RB- Jon Aramburu- 5.4/10

He struggled against the creative play of Yamal and was eventually subbed.

CB- Igor Zubeldia- 5.3/10

The defender battled hard but couldn’t contain Barcelona’s attacks.

CB- Aritz Elustondo- 5/10

He was sent off early in the first half for a last-man challenge, leaving his team in trouble and cost them the game.

LB- Javi Lopez- 5.8/10

Had a difficult game and faced difficulty dealing with Yamal and Olmo.

CDM- Martin Zubimendi- 6.2/10

Struggled to dictate play and leave any impact and was eventually substituted.

RW- Sergio Gomez- 6/10

Had a goal disallowed early but disappeared from the game afterwards.

AM- Pablo Marin- 5.8/10

Worked hard in the midfield but had no impact going forward.

CM- Jon Olasagasti- 5.5/10

Taken off early after the red card forced a tactical change.

LM- Ander Barrenetxea- 6.4/10

Had little game involvement and was subbed off at half-time after a quiet first half.

ST- Orri Oskarsson– 6.5/10

Isolated up front and was substituted after a quiet outing like many of his teammates.

SUB- Jon Martin- 6.5/10

Provided fresh legs but had little influence on the game.

SUB- Benat Turrientes- 6.7/10

Brought some energy but couldn’t change the game.

SUB- Arkaitz Mariezkurrena- 6.4/10

Made his debut but couldn’t make any impact and lacked creativity.

SUB- Hamari Traoré- 6/10

Came on but saw little of the ball and couldn’t do much.

SUB- Aihen Munoz- 6.3/10

Defended well but couldn’t contribute much going forward.

MANAGER- Imanol Alguacil- 5/10

Imanol Alguacil’s team looked helpless after being on the receiving end of the early red card. The 10 men tried their best to contain the electric Barca front line but could do little to stop them.

The Sportsdunia Man of the Match award goes to Dani Olmo.

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