La Liga Results – Barcelona beat Real Sociedad: Barcelona began life without Lionel Messi by beating Real Sociedad in an entertaining La Liga opener. Barcelona won the season opener by 4-2.
La Liga Results: Barcelona makes winning start to life without Messi, defeat Real Sociedad 4-2 in the season opener.
Barça, t’estimo 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/F7oWm4R0Tz
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 15, 2021
La Liga Results – Barcelona beat Real Sociedad: Gerard Pique opened the scoring for Barca with a powerful header from Memphis Depay’s free-kick. Martin Braithwaite scored either side of half-time to become the first Danish player to score a La Liga brace. Real Sociedad pulled it back to 3-2 through Julen Lobete and Mikel Oyarzabal but Sergi Roberto added a fourth for Barcelona in added time.
A brace from former Middlesbrough forward Martin Braithwaite secured all three points for Ronald Koeman’s side at the Nou Camp. The Danish international, who has been on the transfer list, showed his worth and will hope that he can be called upon more often by the club in the post-Messi era.
La Liga Results – Barcelona beat Real Sociedad: New signings Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay made their debuts and while the latter did not get on the scoresheet, he did make an impact by creating the most chances in the match and assisted Gerard Pique’s opener on Sunday. While scoring four goals will have pleased Koeman, the defensive hiccups will be a cause of concern for the Dutchman as he plans a rebuild for the side.
Around 20,000 fans attended the Nou Camp to see their first Barca game in 17 months due to Covid restrictions, with 10,000 tickets unsold. Many supporters decided to stay away from the famous Catalan arena following Messi’s move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
La Liga Results – Barcelona beat Real Sociedad: The hosts opened the scoring in the 19th minute through defender Gerard Pique, who converted an excellent delivery from Memphis Depay. Braithwaite then doubled their lead by emulating Pique and heading home just before half-time. The Danish striker seemingly settled the game in the 59th minute, finishing a loose ball to score his first double for the club.
But Barca were made to sweat when Sociedad youngster Julen Lobete reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute. And it was 3-2 just moments later when Mikel Oyarzabal scored a stunning free-kick, emulating the great Messi with a superb left-footed strike. A late goal from Sergi Roberto finally settled a dramatic game at the Nou Camp as Koeman’s side started the post-Messi era with a win.
Speaking to the press after the match, Pique said: “We made things complicated for ourselves but we played a great game. “We controlled it for 80 minutes and although we were on the edge after their free kick, we got the fourth goal. The new players adapted well and the fans were excited about the football we played.”
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