European football: Barcelona slip up at Real Sociedad while Milan stay in hunt

Barcelona slipped up at Real Sociedad, while Milan stay in hunt for top spot. In a thrilling match that saw Real Sociedad pull off a surprise 2-1 victory over Barcelona, Hansi Flick's side fell to their first defeat in 12 matches.

The Catalan giants hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed as Álvaro Arbeloa's side took advantage of the mistakes. The hosts' midfielder Carlos Soler was sent off late on but managed to hold on for the win, with Sociedad goalkeeper Álex Remiro making key saves to deny Barcelona.

The victory marked a fifth consecutive defeat for Barcelona in La Liga, and they now lead their rivals Real Madrid by only a point at the top of the table. The pressure is mounting on Flick's side as they look to bounce back from this setback.

In other news, Milan stayed in the hunt for top spot with a 1-0 win against Lecce, courtesy of Niclas Füllkrug's header. Füllkrug scored his first goal for the club since joining on loan from West Ham in the 76th minute.

Roma also had a good day, winning 2-0 away to Torino with Paulo Dybala scoring twice. The wins helped boost their Champions League hopes and move them three points ahead of Juventus.

Meanwhile, Fiorentina beat Bologna 2-0 to record their third victory in six matches, while Eintracht Frankfurt parted ways with head coach Dino Toppmöller after a series of poor performances. VfB Stuttgart also drew 1-1 at home to Union Berlin, missing out on the chance to move into the top three.

In Germany, Alexander Sørloth's towering header secured a narrow 1-0 victory for Atlético Madrid against Alavés, while Paulo Dybala starred for Roma with a goal and an assist in their 2-0 win at Torino.

man this barcelona thing is crazy they were so close to winning but those mistakes killed them lol like carlos soler gets sent off and barcelona still can't hold on to the lead what's going on with that team but congrats to real sociedad for pulling off the upset, i was rooting for them and yeah milan is looking strong again, nice win against lecce paulo dybala is on fire right now ️ roma's got some good momentum too, been a while since they've had a win like that

I'm still trying to wrap my head around Barcelona's recent slump They're normally so solid but now they're getting exposed like crazy Flick needs to figure out what's going on and make some changes ASAP I mean, 12 matches without a loss is a long streak and it's not sustainable. And that Remiro guy is having a huge game for Sociedad Can't believe he saved those two goals from Barcelona's attack Milan's on fire though Füllkrug's goal was insane Roma's on the move too ️ Dybala's been unstoppable, I'm loving it

I'm not surprised to see Barcelona slipping up, to be honest. They've been playing some really high-intensity football lately, and it's only a matter of time before they have a blip . I mean, Real Sociedad totally caught them off guard - you can't just keep scoring goals like that! 4 woodwork hits? That's just crazy talk ️. And what's going on with Barcelona's defending? They're always making these huge mistakes and not learning from them. Flick needs to sort out their organization, stat .

On the other hand, Milan are really showing some form now! I'm loving their confidence and swagger - it's infectious . And Niclas Füllkrug's goal was a beautiful finish - he's definitely got the talent for it ️. Roma's also on fire right now, and their wins will give them some serious momentum in the Champions League . It'll be interesting to see how they play out the rest of the season.

And Germany? Atlético Madrid are looking solid with Sørloth's goal - that guy's a beast . VfB Stuttgart's draw was underwhelming, but hey, at least they're not losing too badly . All in all, it's an exciting time for football fans everywhere ️!