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FC Barcelona climbed to the top of La Liga after edging Real Sociedad 2-1 in an entertaining seventh-round clash at the Olympic Stadium. Hansi Flick’s side dominated possession but fell behind when Ander Barrenetxea set up Alvaro Odriozola for an easy finish. Barca kept pushing and leveled before halftime through Jules Kounde, who powered in a header from Marcus Rashford’s corner. The match was finely balanced until the 58th minute when 16-year-old Lamine Yamal came off the bench and made an immediate impact. Within a minute, his precise cross found Robert Lewandowski, who nodded home the winner. Yamal later had a goal ruled out for offside, while both Lewandowski and Takefusa Kubo struck the post in a frantic finale.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid produced a stunning performance to hand Real Madrid their first defeat of the season with a 5-2 victory in the capital derby. Robin Le Normand gave Atletico the lead, but quickfire goals from Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler turned the game around. Alexander Sorloth equalized just before the break to make it 2-2. The second half was all about Atletico, with Julian Alvarez calmly converting a penalty after Guler’s high boot, before adding a brilliant free kick. Antoine Griezmann sealed the win with a late strike, leaving Real shaken and Atletico firmly in the title race.
Villarreal climbed to third place thanks to a 1-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao. Alberto Moleiro scored the only goal in a tight match where both teams had chances. Athletic had the better of the first half, but Villarreal responded strongly after the break, with coach Marcelino Garcia’s substitutions turning the tide. Sevilla also secured a dramatic late victory, beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 away from home. Goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos kept Sevilla alive with a string of saves before Akor Adams grabbed the winner in the 87th minute.
Elche’s fairytale return to La Liga continued as they extended their unbeaten run with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. Andre Silva put Elche ahead with his third goal of the season, but Borja Iglesias pulled one back for the visitors. John Donald then struck the decisive goal after Rafa Mir had missed a penalty, keeping Elche in fourth place. Real Betis also had a good weekend, defeating Osasuna 2-0 at home with first-half goals from Abde Ezzalzouli and Cucho Hernandez.
Mallorca finally celebrated their first win of the campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Alaves, thanks to Takuma Asano’s strike. Getafe and Levante shared the points after Ivan Romero put Levante ahead, only for Juan Iglesias to equalize in the second half. On Friday, Girona and Espanyol played out a goalless draw that left Girona still searching for their first win of the season and stuck at the bottom of the table.
The results mean Barcelona sit top of the standings, followed closely by Villarreal and Elche, with Atletico Madrid gaining ground after their derby triumph. Real Madrid, meanwhile, suffered a setback that could prove costly in the title race, while Mallorca finally gave their fans something to cheer about in what has been a slow start to the campaign.