Barcelona: Real Sociedad came back to win 2-1 at Sevilla and Valencia beat Getafe 1-0 on Saturday as both teams remained locked on points in their fight for a fourth-place finish in the Spanish league. Sociedad remained ahead of fifth-place Valencia on head-to-head goal difference and in control of Spain's last Champions League spot with two rounds to go.
The Basque side fell behind 10 minutes in at Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium when Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic slotted in a back pass from Geoffrey Kondogbia. But Rakitic's own goal when he headed a free kick into his team's net in the 16th leveled the score, and striker Imanol Agirretxe swept in Carlos Martinez's lobbed pass to give Sociedad the lead for good in the 24th with his 13th goal of the season.
Both sides created several chances in the second half, but neither could finish them off. Sevilla's Jose Antonio Reyes was dismissed after half-time with a direct red card for protesting a decision by the line judge while warming up on the sideline.
"We're happy because it's very hard to win here," said Sociedad coach Philippe Montanier. "In their previous nine home games only Atletico (Madrid) had won here. It was a tough game. We played well in the first half, and then in the second we tried to sit farther back and score on the break. But we had difficulties with their set pieces and had to hold on until the end."...
08:29 AM, May 19, 2013
Barcelona: Cristiano Ronaldo headed in two goals to help Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4-3 in the Spanish league on Saturday, but the entertaining win was overshadowed by growing dissatisfaction with coach Jose Mourinho for criticizing the club. Madrid's ninth straight home win in league play denied Barcelona the chance to clinch the league title this weekend. Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead to eight points, meaning the Catalan side can't seal the...
08:40 AM, May 05, 2013
Barcelona: Dethroned as Europe's dominant team, Barcelona can begin rebuilding their reputation by clinching the Spanish league title this weekend. Barcelona can secure their 22nd domestic title and their fourth in five years if they beat Real Betis at Camp Nou on Sunday and second-place Real Madrid drops points at home against Valladolid the day before. Barcelona and Madrid were both eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals this week. Yet...
06:47 PM, May 03, 2013
Barcelona: Real Sociedad striker Imanol Agirretxe scored two goals and set up a third in a highly entertaining 4-2 comeback win over Valencia on Sunday. Sociedad's victory strengthened their hold on fourth place and Spain's last Champions League berth by increasing their lead to five points over fifth-place Valencia with five rounds left. "We took advantage of the chances we had," said Agirretxe, who took his tally to 11 goals...
08:51 AM, Apr 29, 2013
Real Sociedad thrashed Valladolid 4-1 with a dizzying attacking display Saturday to provisionally move into fourth place in the Spanish league. ...
10:34 PM, Mar 16, 2013
Sociedad fought back to claim a long-coveted 3-1 victory at Bilbao in the 66th and final derby to be played at San Mames stadium. ...
08:22 AM, Feb 23, 2013
Real Sociedad were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Levante in the Spanish league on Sunday despite having an extra player for the last half hour. ...
07:15 PM, Feb 17, 2013
Ten-man Barcelona lost their first match in the Spanish league squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat at Real Sociedad. ...
12:58 AM, Jan 20, 2013
Tito Vilanova's squad conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 with 10-man Malaga on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey. ...
04:38 PM, Jan 18, 2013
Real Madrid forward Ronaldo will miss his team's next Spanish league game at Osasuna serving a one-game ban. ...
12:31 AM, Jan 07, 2013
Ronaldo scored on the break in the 68th before hitting the winner from a free kick in the 70th. ...
11:37 PM, Jan 06, 2013
Also on Thursday, Espanyol beat last-place Deportivo La Coruna 2-0 to escape the relegation zone, while Rayo Vallecano downed visiting Levante 3-0 ...
08:18 AM, Dec 21, 2012
Malaga kept their fifth clean sheet through eight road games this season as they climbed to within four points of Real Madrid. ...
07:42 AM, Dec 16, 2012
Barcelona: Striker Aritz Aduriz scored twice to give Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 victory at Granada on Sunday, the struggling Basque side's first away win of the Spanish league season. Bilbao finally showed flashes of the attacking verve that led it to the finals of the Europa League and Copa del Rey last season and made it one of the surprises of European football with memorable wins over Manchester United. Aduriz...
08:42 AM, Nov 05, 2012
Valladolid: Real Sociedad forward Antoine Griezmann and Valladolid midfielder Patrick Ebert led their teams to an entertaining 2-2 draw on Monday in the Spanish league. Sociedad went ahead against the run of play at Valladolid's Jose Zorrilla stadium when Griezmann volleyed his first goal from a loose ball in the 36th minute. Ebert deservedly equalized for the hosts two minutes before halftime. After coming close with a pair of on-target...
09:15 AM, Oct 30, 2012
Barcelona: Radamel Falcao struck a free kick in the 90th minute to give unbeaten Atletico Madrid a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad on Sunday, extending its winning run to seven games to remain level with Barcelona at the top of the Spanish standings. After being held in check until the very end, Falcao curled a perfect right-footed shot over the defensive wall to take his league scoring tally to nine...
08:52 AM, Oct 22, 2012
Madrid: Spanish football outfit Real Sociedad has confirmed an agreement to keep midfielder Markel Bergara at the club for a further three seasons.The 26-year-old, product of the club's youth system, has made 89 first team appearances for the team and is a regular this season in the starting eleven. He has started all seven of Real Sociedad's matches this season, reports Xinhua. The midfielder's contract was due to expire at...
01:21 PM, Oct 12, 2012
Barcelona: Malaga beat Zaragoza 1-0 thanks to Ignacio Camacho's second-half header on Saturday, keeping the Costa del Sol side undefeated in the Spanish league despite a tumultuous offseason and the exit of several key players. Right back Eliseu Pereira capped his strong overall performance by directing a corner kick to Camacho, who headed in from the near post in the 56th minute. "I think we had the clearest scoring chances,"...
08:41 AM, Sep 02, 2012
Barcelona: Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1 with Lionel Messi scoring twice, striking first Sunday in the likely two-way fight for the Spanish league title after Real Madrid had drawn 1-1 against Valencia. To sweeten the debut of Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, David Villa played his first competitive minutes since breaking his leg last December and capped the win with a goal. The Spain striker came on in the 75th minute...
03:21 AM, Aug 20, 2012
