Barcelona picked up all three points at Reale Arena behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 11th minute goal, but it came at a heavy price.
The Blaugrana defense was torn to shreds in the process, with the entire back line of Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Dani Alves, and Ronald Araujo all picking up injuries throughout the 90 minutes. Alba was the only one who made it the full 90 minutes, with the other three withdrawn at various points of the second half. Aubameyang also may have picked up an injury problem late, while substitute defender Clement Lenglet took a big hit in the final minutes but managed to see out the game.
The three points will be valuable as Barcelona looks to tighten its grip on a Cha
Barcelona result: Aubameyang goal enough for Barca, but 1-0 win comes at heavy price
mpions League place, but the loss of numerous defenders will leave the team vulnerable as the season comes to a close. Real Sociedad was the better side through much of the second half, and only poor finishing let the hosts down against a hobbled Barcelona back line.
Pique’s 80 minutes were utterly heroic, as the Barcelona legend pushed for the clean sheet despite picking up his injury before halftime. For La Real, both strikers Alexander Isak and Alexander Sorloth missed critical chances, and while the latter was dangerous throughout the match, neither could find the back of the net as season-long wastefulness persisted.
