Barcelona’s La Liga title celebration failed at the Camp Nou as Barcelona were defeated 2-1 by Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Xavi’s side won the major league title with a 4-2 win over Espanyol last time, after which the team celebrated on the pitch, much to the chagrin of their opponents’ fans.
However, the Blaugrana failed to mark their first league title since 2019 with a win on their return home, with an early strike by Mikel Merino and a lead by Alexandre Sorloth earning points for La Real.
A late header from Robert Lewandowski gave Barça hope, but their visitors clung to their first away win at the Camp Nou since May 1991, giving Imanol Alguacil a Champions League box seat with three matches remaining.
La Real found their hosts at the counter five minutes later, and Merino finished ahead of schedule.
Barça seemed poised to equalize when Ousmane Dembele met Lewandowski’s serve, but Alex Remiro made a fantastic save before the Poland international pulled the ball in from close range.
1 – Alexander Serlot – the first @RealSociedadEN player who will score and assist Barcelona at the Camp Nou in @LaLigaRU in the 21st century.
Key. pic.twitter.com/6iXPNpwuox
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) May 20, 2023
Meanwhile, the blue garnets were living a glamorous life on the other end as Ander Barrenechea squandered two golden opportunities on either side of Marc-André ter Stegen turning down Mohamed Ali-Cho.
Sorloth subsequently shot wide from six yards, but the Norwegian international made no mistake after completing a superb counter-attack before Ter Stegen made a superb stop to parry Diego Rico’s shot.
A well-placed header by Lewandowski allowed a late finish in the stands, but La Real held firm through five minutes of stoppage time, five points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal for a decent win.
What does it mean? A memorable win spoiled the title party
Barça were not destined to win a title victory, although, in truth, they did not deserve it.
La Real entered Saturday’s game by losing each of their last 24 trips to the Camp Nou in La Liga, drawing there in 1995.
The away team registered 1.9 xG to Barça’s 1.5, with 12 of their 13 shots coming from outside the home penalty area, showing how easily they found space in the final third at times.
Sorloth the man-star
Missing an easy chance to take Real Madrid 2-0 away, Sorloth could have easily fluffed his lines when heads-up with Ter Stegen, who was arguably Barça’s best player.
Instead, he became the first La Real player to score and assist Barça at the Camp Nou in a league match in the 21st century.
Ter Stegen stops his ugliness
The Barça goalkeeper could have gone into the tunnel with his head held high after four saves, including an outstanding one from Rico after Sorloth made it 2-0 to La Real.
What’s next?
Real Valladolid will be Barça’s next player, while La Real will play Almeria at home.