Becker goal hands Real Sociedad shock win
Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 LaLiga defeat at Real Sociedad on Sunday that ended their seven-match winning streak in all competitions as Sheraldo Becker scored for the Basque side in the first half.
Leaders Barcelona got their first taste of defeat in over a month and only their second in their domestic season after they were dominated throughout the match by the home side who wasted several chances.
Heading into the match, Barca had the most prolific attack in Europe's top five leagues with 40 goals as well in the Champions League with 15, yet Hansi Flick's side finished the game having had no shots on target.
Barcelona still lead the standings on 33 points, six ahead of Real Madrid who have a game in hand in second place, while Atletico Madrid are third on 26 points. Real Sociedad are eighth on 18 points.
Missing teenager Lamine Yamal, who had not fully recovered from a right ankle injury suffered in their Champions League win at Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, Barca thought they had opened the scoring in the 13th minute.
Robert Lewandowski fired home a rebound from inside the box, but the goal was ruled out by the VAR, who spotted the Polish striker was marginally offside in the build up.
Real Sociedad then took control of the match and, after Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena made a fine save to deny a Mikel Oyarzabal free kick, Becker beat the offside trap to race on to a Luka Sucic header before slotting a tidy finish just inside the post in the 33rd minute.
The home side squandered chance after chance as they overran a chaotic Barcelona defence and the visitors were lucky to get to halftime not losing by a wider margin after Oyarzabal missed a sitter just before the break.
Becker also wasted three golden opportunities early in the second half and Barca goalkeeper Pena made several critical saves to deny efforts by Oyarzabal, Take Kubo and Brais Mendez.
Real continued to dominate but failed to turn their superiority into goals and almost paid the price as Barca went close in the 57th minute.
Fermin Lopez tried his luck with a strike from the edge of the box which deflected off a defender and almost wrongfooted the home side's goalkeeper Alex Remiro, who was quick to recover and palm away the effort for a corner.
"Real Sociedad are a team that presses very well. It was very difficult for us to put the ball in play," Barcelona's Pedri told Movistar Plus.
"We weren't accurate today and I think it'll be a one-day thing. The team is doing well and it's nothing to worry about.
"In the second half we didn't have any clarity. We have to analyse it and keep working after the international break. We're doing well and we're still in the lead."
Inter held to home draw by Napoli
Hakan Calhanoglu finally missed a penalty for Inter Milan after scoring a stunning equaliser as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by leaders Napoli in Serie A on Sunday.
The match was a rollercoaster for the 30-year-old Turkey midfielder, who scored a superb long-range goal to cancel out Scott McTominay's opener for Napoli.
However, he then hit the post with a penalty, his first miss for Inter from the spot to end a streak of 19 successful efforts and his first penalty miss since November 2016, when he played for Bayer Leverkusen.
The result tightened the race at the top of Serie A, with Napoli leading the way on 26 points. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Inter and Lazio all have 25 points.
While disappointed to let three points slip from their grasp, Calhanoglu admitted he was bound to miss a penalty eventually.
"We dominated the game, we deserved more. We were unlucky, I'm sorry I missed the first penalty, but I knew it would happen, I just didn't want it to happen today," he said.
"It was an intense match, many duels, we always tried to find our strikers. In the second half, we were better down the wings, but we couldn’t score."
The visitors took the lead in the 23rd minute against the run of play when McTominay pounced to poke home from close range after a corner was flicked on.
Two minutes before the break, Calhanoglu equalised with a powerful strike from outside the box, which beat Napoli keeper Alex Meret before nestling in the top corner.
Inter took control in the second half, pressing relentlessly and going close on several occasions, including a powerful shot from Federico Dimarco that rattled the post.
Tensions rose on the pitch when Inter coach Simone Inzaghi received a booking for protesting 10 minutes into the second half.
Calhanoglu then shocked San Siro in the 74th minute, hitting the post with his penalty after Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa fouled Denzel Dumfries.
Napoli went close to stealing the win in the dying moments when Giovanni Simeone fired his shot from inside the box high over the bar.
Girona's Herrera heads winner in narrow victory at Getafe
Girona's Yangel Herrera headed home in the first half to give last year's surprise package a 1-0 victory at Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday and earn them successive league wins for the first time in more than two months.
Venezuela midfielder Herrera scored with a towering header from close range assisted by Bryan Gil's fine cross from the left wing in the 42nd minute as Girona survived huge pressure from Getafe who missed several chances throughout the match.
The result lifted struggling Girona to 18 points from 13 matches and into ninth place, with Getafe fourth from bottom in 17th with 10 points.
Girona, depleted by 12 injuries in their first-team squad and coming off the back of a 4-0 defeat by PSV, their third loss in four Champions League matches, made the most of the only real chance they got and gave Getafe their first home defeat of the season.
The home side thought they had a penalty when Oriol Romeu tackled Yellu Santiago from behind but the referee's call was overturned by the VAR who spotted that the foul was marginally outside the penalty box.
Girona had their goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to thank for an outstanding reflex save to deny a Bertug Yildirim effort from close range in the 71st minute.
"It's a victory that feels very good," Gil told Movistar Plus.
"We are missing a lot of players but the team came here today and competed. The opponents pressed hard and it's difficult to play with your back against the wall. Gazzaniga always comes up in difficult moments, he's an incredible goalkeeper."
