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Barca snatch ‘inexplicable’ win at dominant Sociedad, Girona top Liga

Barcelona's Ronald Araujo, left, celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and Barcelona in San Sebastian, Spain, Saturday. (AP)
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Updated 05 November 2023
AFP
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Barca snatch ‘inexplicable’ win at dominant Sociedad, Girona top Liga

  • The coach brought Robert Lewandowski into the Barca starting lineup after he made his return from injury as a substitute against Madrid
  • Girona continued their stunning start to the season with a late comeback to beat Osasuna and take pole position
Updated 05 November 2023
AFP

BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said football is “inexplicable” after Ronald Araujo’s 92nd minute winner snatched Barcelona an undeserved 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad on Saturday in La Liga.

Having suffered a last-gasp defeat by Real Madrid in the Clasico last Saturday despite having the better of the game, Xavi’s side inflicted the same suffering on Real Sociedad in San Sebastian.

Barcelona failed to create any clear chances until the final stages, with their goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen keeping the score level, before Araujo headed Ilkay Gundogan’s cross home with seconds remaining.

The victory takes Barcelona third, two points above Atletico Madrid, who lost on Friday at Las Palmas, and one point behind second place Real Madrid, who host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Girona provisionally lead La Liga by three points from Los Blancos after they came from behind to beat Osasuna 4-2 earlier Saturday.

“It tastes spectacular,” Xavi told Movistar after Araujo’s late winner.

“Football sometimes is inexplicable — last week we deserved to win and ended up losing, now (we) don’t deserve to win, and end up winning.”

Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham’s double inflicted Barcelona’s first league defeat and Xavi said the team were still reeling from it as La Real outplayed them.

“Maybe we came out with a post-Clasico hangover... we didn’t have the intensity that we wanted,” added Xavi.

The coach brought Robert Lewandowski into the Barca starting lineup after he made his return from injury as a substitute against Madrid.

However the Polish forward was just as quiet as he was last weekend as the game passed him and Barcelona by for large periods.

Real Sociedad pushed the Catalans back through the first half, carving out by far the better chances but were unable to find the opener.

Within the first 30 seconds Ander Barrenetxea called Ter Stegen into action, and Barcelona’s German goalkeeper was under the cosh as the hosts rampaged forward.

Real Sociedad remained on top after the break but Barcelona found more stability, tightening up at the back and closing off some of the space Barrenetxea and Kubo enjoyed earlier on.

Pedri made his comeback from injury in the second half, replacing Lewandowski for his first appearance since August, as Xavi sought more control.

The champions produced their first genuine chance in stoppage time when Pedri cleverly slipped in Gavi, but Remiro denied the midfielder.

Their chance to steal the points seemed to have vanished but center-back Araujo popped up in the right place at the right time to pull off the heist.

“These are three very important points after coming from the Clasico, which we lost playing well,” Araujo told Movistar.

The defeat leaves Real Sociedad sixth, after Real Betis beat Mallorca to rise above them.

“Generally we were better then them, we didn’t put away our chances and they scored the one they had,” Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal told Movistar.

“I think it’s worse to lose without showing up, to lose without playing well... if you have to lose, I prefer to lose like this.”

Earlier Girona continued their stunning start to the season with a late comeback to beat Osasuna and take pole position.

Ivan Martin sent the visitors ahead but Osasuna striker Ante Budimir netted twice to turn the game on its head.

Ukrainian duo Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov both struck for Girona to put them back in front and Aleix Garcia wrapped up the win late on, their 10th victory in 12 league games.

However Girona coach Michel said his club were not competing with Spain’s big three, but instead the other sides aspiring to establish themselves in the top four.

“We’re not in the league of Barca, Madrid and Atleti, but we will fight to be in the league of those coming in behind them,” said Michel.

“I dream of that, being in the league of La Real (Sociedad), Athletic, Rayo... now, yes, I dream of that league.”

Elsewhere Real Betis earned a comfortable 2-0 win at home over Real Mallorca.

French playmaker Nabil Fekir appeared as a substitute for Betis to make his return from a knee ligament injury which has kept him out since February.

Rafa Benitez’s Celta Vigo remained in the relegation zone after Youssef En-Nesyri struck late to secure a 1-1 draw for Sevilla at Balaidos.

Topics: Barcelona

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Australia depth shows up England’s Ashes ‘failures’

Updated 12 December 2025
AFP
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Australia depth shows up England’s Ashes ‘failures’

Updated 12 December 2025
AFP

SYDNEY: A well-drilled Australia are on the cusp of retaining the Ashes after just six days of cricket — not bad for a team lambasted by England great Stuart Broad before the series began as its weakest since 2010.
The hosts take a 2-0 lead into the third Test at Adelaide on December 17 needing only a draw to keep the famous urn and pile more humiliation on Ben Stokes’s tourists.
Australia have put themselves on the brink despite missing injured pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, with the performances of stand-ins Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett a reflection of their depth.
“The great and the healthiest thing for Australian cricket right now is that they’ve got almost a second XI or an Australia ‘A’ side that could come in and play some outstanding cricket too,” said former Australia Test quick Brett Lee.
“The guys who have had their opportunity, the Doggetts and the Nesers, have stood up. They’ve taken their opportunity and taken it with both hands, which is brilliant.”
The strength of the country’s talent pool was driven home by Australia ‘A’ crushing England’s second-tier side by an innings and 127 runs at Allan Border Field while Stokes’s men were being thrashed down the road in the second Test at the Gabba.
Young prospects Fergus O’Neill, Cooper Connolly and Campbell Kellaway stood out, while discarded Test batsman Nathan McSweeney fired a double-century reminder to selectors.
It is a far cry from the pre-Ashes war-of-words where England were hyped as having their best chance in a generation to win a series in Australia, with seamer Broad’s comments coming back to haunt him.
“It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won and it’s the best English team since 2010,” said Broad, who retired in 2023 and is now working as a pundit.
“It’s actually not an opinion, it’s fact.”
At the time, he pointed to questions over the make-up of Australia’s batting line-up and a perceived lack of bowling depth.
Both have been blown out of the water.

On the go

Australia went into the first Test in Perth dogged by uncertainty, with the uncapped Jake Weatherald as Usman Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner retired nearly two years ago.
In a quirk of fate, Khawaja was unable to bat in the first innings because of back spasms with Marnus Labuschagne replacing him.
But it was when he pulled out again in the second innings and Travis Head stepped up that the tide turned on England with his stunning 69-ball match-winning century.
“Ever since Travis Head stuck his hand up to open when Khawaja got hurt in Perth, Australia have looked like a different team,” said Australian legend Glenn McGrath.
Labuschagne said Head and Weatherald’s confidence trickled down to the lower order in Brisbane, where himself, Steve Smith and Alex Carey all blasted quick-fire half centuries.
It leaves selectors with a dilemma for the third Test: recall now-fit 85-Test veteran Khawaja or persist with Weatherald and Head, whose home ground is Adelaide.
Smith, who stood in for Cummins as skipper in the first two Tests, attributed Australia’s success so far to being able to adapt “in real time.”
“We play ‘live’. We adapt on the go, instead of getting back in the sheds and going, ‘We should have done this’,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s just playing the long game. I think we’ve just adapted so well the last couple of years, and played in real time, I suppose.”
For former Australia captain Greg Chappell, Australia’s success has been as much about England’s failures.
While their aggressive “Bazball” approach might be suited to flat English pitches and small grounds, it has been brutally exposed by the bigger boundaries and demanding conditions in Australia.
“The failure that has ensued across the first two Tests is a whole-of-system one, a catastrophic breakdown of both the game plan and its execution,” he wrote in a column.
“While the players have been the immediate culprits, the off-field leaders —  Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes — are equally responsible for not recognizing the different challenges presented by Test cricket in Australia.”
 

Topics: The Ashes

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