Barcelona Fall to Real Sociedad at Anoeta After Three Disallowed Goals in a Surreal Night

At Anoeta, FC Barcelona suffered an incomprehensible defeat against Real Sociedad, in a match defined by razor-thin decisions, relentless misfortune, and an overwhelming sense of unreality. Three goals ruled out, a penalty overturned, and five shots off the woodwork explain a loss that costs Barça all three points.

The side coached by Hansi Flick dominated possession, pressed high, created chance after chance—and even celebrated goals that never counted. Every attempt to take the lead was thwarted by VAR interventions, offside calls, or the frame of the goal, in a night that will be remembered as one of the most surreal of the season.

First came a goal disallowed for a prior stamp in the build-up before Fermín López finished the move. Then another strike was ruled out for offside, followed by a third—this time a millimetric call against Lamine Yamal by mere centimeters. On the Barça bench, disbelief grew with every replay shown on the stadium screens.

Adding to the chaos were the posts. Up to five Barcelona efforts crashed against the woodwork, some after the slightest touches from goalkeeper Álex Remiro, who kept Real Sociedad alive during their most difficult moments. The incredulity peaked when Barça won a penalty after a move by Lamine Yamal—only for VAR to intervene once more and overturn it due to an earlier offside.

While Barcelona piled up chances, disallowed goals, and shots off the frame, Real Sociedad proved clinical where it mattered. In an isolated attack, Mikel Oyarzabal put the hosts ahead, punishing the team that was playing better and pushing harder.

Late on, Barça finally equalized after sustained pressure, but the joy lasted barely a minute. In the very next action, Real Sociedad struck again to decide a match that felt impossible for the visitors to lose.

The defeat leaves a bitter taste in Barcelona’s mouth. A match they controlled, filled with chances and goals that did not count, ends with zero points. A night in which football showed its cruelest and most capricious side—one that is hard to explain and impossible to forget.