Lamine Yamal made a triumphant return from injury to help Barcelona secure a 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday, propelling them to the top of La Liga by a single point.
Following Real Madrid’s humiliating 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday, Hansi Flick’s side seized the opportunity to surpass Xabi Alonso’s team in the standings.
Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play in the first half, with Álvaro Odriozola scoring after 31 minutes, finishing off a well-placed cross from Ander Barrenetxea.
However, Barcelona equalised shortly after through Jules Kounde, who headed in to restore parity.
Yamal, sidelined for the previous four matches owing to a groin injury, made an immediate impact after coming on as a second-half substitute, providing the assist for Robert Lewandowski’s winning goal just moments after his introduction.
The match took place at the Olympic Stadium, where Barcelona have been based for the past two seasons after the city council denied them a permit to reopen their Camp Nou home earlier in the week.
Flick also gave 17-year-old attacking midfielder Dro Fernandez his debut, starting Roony Bardghji on the right wing and fielding veteran Wojciech Szczesny in place of injured Joan Garcia.
While Barcelona dominated possession in the first half, they struggled to overcome Real Sociedad’s goalkeeper, Alex Remiro, who made a stunning save to deny Marcus Rashford in the game’s early moments.
On loan from Manchester United, Rashford is gradually finding his feet at Barcelona, providing a brilliant through ball to Lewandowski, who angled a shot across the face of goal from a tight position.
Despite their efforts, Barcelona found Remiro to be a formidable barrier as he expertly parried a deflected Kounde cross.
