Having been reduced to ten men shortly before the half time interval, it was always going to be a uphill struggle for Real Sociedad to contain a confident Barcelona side at the Camp Nou.

Having lost their last 26 matches in Catalonia, history wasn’t on La Real’s side, but they gave a good account of themselves in the opening 45 minutes. Former Barca youth player Takefusa Kubo hit the crossbar, and the defence looked to contain Xavi’s stars.

Brais Mendez’s red card for a nasty challenge on Barca captain meant that La Real are firmly up against it, and now they have fallen behind shortly into the second half. Ousmane Dembele drove down the right flank, before firing a bullet shot past Alex Remiro in the Real Sociedad goal.

Barca will be hoping to hold on to their narrow lead, much like they did against Getafe in La Liga at the weekend. La Real will now need to open up more, which could give more opportunities to the Blaugrana

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry team up to win Zurich in playoff
Candace Parker has one lofty post-retirement goal
NBA Coach of the Year announced
Nuggets star questionable with calf injury ahead of Game 5
Canucks start third goalie in Game 4 vs. Predators
Joel Embiid calls out Sixers fans for lack of home presence
Women's hoops icon Candace Parker retires: Basketball world pays tribute
Stephen A. Smith blasts NBA for not suspending Russell Westbrook
Cale Makar sparks Avalanche to go up 3-1 in series vs. Jets
Knicks shut down Sixers in final minutes to take 3-1 lead
Watch: ‘Playoff P’ finally emerges for Clippers
Falcons HC Raheem Morris addresses QB situation after curious draft pick
Watch: Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen stays hot vs. Jets
Steelers back makes revealing comment about difference in QB situation
Predicting which non-2023 playoff teams will make the postseason in 2024
Rejuvenated Stars head into Game 4 after OT win
Watch: Yankees slugger Aaron Judge homers for second straight game vs. Brewers
Christian McCaffrey encouraged Commanders GM to draft brother Luke
Watch: Knicks' Jalen Brunson receives MVP chants in road playoff game vs. 76ers
Insider believes Drake Maye has chance to start right away for Patriots

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.