Real Sociedad 0-1 Barcelona: Barca Player Ratings as Aubameyang's ninth league goal secures win on an injury-stricken night | La Liga 2021-22

Real Sociedad v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

Barcelona secured a crucial 1-0 with away at Real Sociedad in La Liga on Wednesday night. The game was marred by injuries to several of the visitors' players.

Sociedad came into this tie on the back of an eventful 0-0 draw with Real Betis in their last game. They saw key man David Silva sent off in the dying moments of the game, meaning he missed tonight's clash through suspension. Barca, on the other hand, lost 1-0 to a spirited Cadiz side in their last game. With the hosts just five points behind their opponents before kick-off, neither could afford to slip up.

The game began with high-intensity play from Real Sociedad, who were backed by a vociferous crowd at the Reale Arena. However, as the game progressed, Barcelona started settling in and found their rhythm in no time.

Ousmane Dembele hit the post with a low, driven effort. Soon after, the ball fell to Ferran Torres from the resulting fracas and he played it across for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to head in to make it 1-0 in the 11th minute.

Dani Alves and Jordi Alba did well, sprinting up and down either wing to offer Barcelona options in attack. However, Sociedad did well to thwart any advances made by Barca.

Alexander Sorloth and Adnan Januzaj were the standout performers for the hosts as they combined to create chances. However, their teammate Alexander Isak did not have the same luck as he missed a glorious chance to level the tie.

The sides kept going at each other in an exciting display of end-to-end football. Barcelona went into half-time with a 1-0 lead over Real Sociedad.

HALFTIME

0️⃣ Real Sociedad
1️⃣ BARÇA (@Auba, 11')

#RealSociedadBarça https://t.co/ylOwBm6uFm

The second half began with a good tempo but play was halted just a few minutes into the restart after fans threw an object onto the field.

The break in play seemed to wake Real Sociedad up as they had a fairly lengthy spell of dominance following the stoppage. They came close as Sorloth first skied an effort and then saw a low shot saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen. However, several Barcelona players kept going down with injuries, resulting in multiple stoppages.

Prior to Ronald Araujo's substitution, all four of Barcelona's defenders had gone down with injuries at some point in the game. It killed the tempo of the game as both sides struggled to put together a competent move. A few minutes later, Gavi arrived in a dangerous position in the box. However, he squandered his shot and saw it drift wide of goal.

Due to all the interruptions, a huge 10 minutes of stoppage time was added on at the end of the 90. Barcelona and Real Sociedad both tried to up the ante and exchanged a few chaotic spells of possession. The game was played end-to-end for a few minutes as the visitors aimed to shut up shop.

Barcelona managed to hold on and secured a crucial three points after a 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad.

That said, here are the player ratings from tonight's game.

Barcelona Player Ratings

Marc-Andre ter Stegen - 8/10

The German started the game by giving his team a scare as he was slow to clear the ball which Alexander Isak nearly intercepted. He made a wonderful reflex save in the second half from Sorloth's strike. He made a total of five saves, out of which two were from shots taken inside the box.

Dani Alves - 6/10

Alves did well to pop up in crucial areas of attack to offer options to his teammates. He played 66 minutes, won two of his six ground duels and played three accurate long balls from six attempts.

Alves was replaced by Sergino Dest in the last half hour of the game.

Ronald Araujo - 6.5/10

Araujo looked aggressive and combative from the start. He was booked midway through the first period following a clumsy challenge. His night ended abruptly soon after the restart as he pulled up with an injury to his right knee. He made six clearances, two tackles and two interceptions.

Araujo was replaced by Eric Garcia.

Gerard Pique - 6.5/10

Pique put in some hard tackles in the first half and looked solid at the back. However, that form soon faded as he looked to be struggling with a groin injury soon after the restart. The veteran moved around gingerly and somehow played 82 minutes.

He was replaced by Clement Lenglet. He won six of his nine duels, making six clearances and three successful tackles.

Jordi Alba - 6.5/10

Alba started the game well and also created the chance that eventually led to his side's first goal. He did well to continue despite an injury to help his side see out the game.

Gavi - 6/10

Gavi put in a spirited performance as usual, often putting in strong tackles. He made a total of three tackles.

He was booked for arguing with the referee late in the second half, something the youngster needed to cut out of his game.

🇪🇸⚽️ Sergio Busquets a rejoint hier soir Andrés Iniesta au 3eme rang des joueurs les plus capés de l'histoire du FC Barcelone !
➡️ bit.ly/3ryCwWb https://t.co/KoHtHXzd8Y

Sergio Busquets - 7/10

Busquets overtook Andres Iniesta to move into third place on the all-time appearances list for Barcelona. He dropped the shoulder in trademark fashion on multiple occasions in a classy performance. He won 11 of his 14 duels and also made three clearances, two interceptions and five tackles.

Frenkie de Jong - 7.5/10

De Jong was at his creative best as he assumed control of the midfield with his impeccable passing and movement. He won 11 of his 14 duels as well, playing two accurate long balls and making four tackles.

Ousmane Dembele - 7/10

Dembele was lively on the wing for Barcelona as he started the game with all guns blazing. He saw his driven shot hit the post in the first half.

Ferran Torres - 8/10

Torres played sharply and also provided an assist for his side's all-important opener. He created two big chances in total. He also played all three of his long passes accurately and won four of his eight duels.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7.5/10

The Gabonese started the game sharply and did well to arrive in a key area at the far-post to nod in the goal that put Barcelona 1-0 up. He kept threatening and arriving in dangerous positions but did not hit the target with his only other shot.

Aubameyang was replaced by Luuk de Jong in the 82nd minute.

9 goals in 8 La Liga starts

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fits right in at Barcelona 💥 https://t.co/ksaeTbM39X

Substitutes

Eric Garcia - 6/10

He played 35 minutes, winning two of his three aerial duels, and passing the ball with 86% accuracy to help Barcelona secure the win.

Sergino Dest - 7/10

Dest played 25 minutes, winning two of his ground duels, making two tackles and one clearance.

Clement Lenglet - 6/10

Lenglet made three clearances to help Barcelona secure the win.

Luuk de Jong - 6/10

He won four of his seven duels and also made a crucial clearance.