BARCELONA: Barcelona ground out a feisty 1-0 win at Real Sociedad on Thursday to tighten their grip on a top-four finish in LaLiga and put the disappointing home loss to lowly Cadiz behind them.

Barca climbed to second in the standings, level on points with third-placed Sevilla — who held on for a 3-2 win away at Levante, Tecatito scoring twice in Valencia — and 15 behind leaders Real Madrid. They are also six points clear of Real Betis in fifth and two ahead of Atletico Madrid in fourth.

Barca, who have a game in hand, host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday but Real need only four more points from their last five games to secure the title.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored Barcelona’s winner on 11 minutes after Ousmane Dembele struck the post and Ferran Torres crossed to the Gabon striker who guided home a gentle header from close range.

It was an intense game at a packed Reale Arena in San Sebastian where the hosts wasted several clear opportunities to score and dominated possession.

Barcelona survived the Basque onslaught thanks to incredible misses by Alexander Isak and Alexander Sorloth and to inspired goalkeeping by Marc Andre ter Stegen who made at least three superb saves.

“It is the game that I have suffered the most since I arrived in November,” Barca coach Xavi Hernandez told Movistar Plus. “Real Sociedad dominated the game, they are a great team, they put us on the ropes and deserved more, perhaps a draw,” he added.

“That is why it has been a vital win, a precious victory. It was a well fought and very important result that leaves us in second place, close to our objective of going to the Champions League next season.”

Xavi said his team were exhausted in the second half, with several players in need of medical attention. Ronald Araujo and Dani Alves had to be substituted and Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Gavi struggled.

“It’s a long season,” Alves told reporters. “With too many games in the last weeks the wear and tear takes a toll on us and it is normal for players to be tired. It’s time for us to make an effort because there are few games left and we have to do everything to finish well.”

Sociedad might have had an outside chance of joining the race for the top four if they had beaten Barcelona but defeat surely leaves them looking to secure a spot in the Europa League. They are six points behind Atletico in fourth.

Aubameyang’s goal was his 11th for Barca since he joined the club in January and this one was particularly important, with his team eager to overturn an unexpected dip in form.

Xavi challenged his players on Wednesday to escape the “negative dynamic” after back-to-back defeats by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Cadiz at Camp Nou.

There was controversy off the pitch too, as Pique found himself in the middle of a media storm this week after leaked audio messages revealed unseemly conversations with the president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales.

Pique’s early touches were whistled by the Sociedad crowd, who jeered again when the 35-year-old was substituted in the 82nd minute.

Alves had already gone off in the 66th and Araujo in the 55th.

The decisive moment, though, came when Dembele hit the post when left free in the area. The ball cannoned out and Sociedad looked safe to clear until Gavi robbed the ball back, chipped it to Torres, whose looping ball across allowed Aubameyang to nod in.

Sociedad might easily have grabbed an equaliser but kept running into the Ter Stegen, who enjoyed an inspired night in the Barcelona goal.

Isak went close while Sorloth missed their best chances, firing wide at the back post from Nacho Monreal’s cross and then taking too long after being picked out in the area by Adnan Januzaj.

Sorloth had another sight of goal late on, but his finish from the angle was brilliantly stopped by Ter Stegen, this time his left foot allowing Barca to hold on for an important victory.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2022