Araujo off the mark when it matters
The first goal scored by Ronald Araujo in the 2023/24 season is likely to be remembered. It was a good goal in itself, but the fact it was scored in the 92nd minute and was practically the last kick of the ball of the match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona made it even more memorable.
A 0-0 stalemate up to that point, with Real Sociedad pushing hard throughout, Xavi Hernández' side can be happy to come away with three big points from a tough fixture.
Araujo's goal against Real Sociedad came on 91:58 minutes. First ruled out due to offside, it went to VAR, which ruled the Uruguayan was onside and the Reale Arena scoreboard said 0-1. The goal was Barça's latest in LaLiga since October 2022, when Robert Lewandowski scored the winner against Valencia after 92:55 minutes.
Araujo has played 7 LaLiga games and 2 Champions League matches so far this season, having missed 5 clashes due to injury from 17 August to 22 September after playing the LaLiga matchday one fixture against Getafe.
Since making his debut for Barça in the 2019/20 season, the Uruguayan has played 122 games for the Club, providing three assists and now eight goals, after his winner against Real Sociedad.
First teamers returning
Another good bit of news from the Real Sociedad match involved the return of both Jules Kounde and Pedri. The Frenchman started and played the entire fixture, back after an injury picked up on 8 October against Granada. He had been passed fit for El Clásico, but Xavi decided it was better to wait a little longer. Another long-awaited return was Pedri, who had only played twice this season - against Getafe and Cádiz - also scoring against the latter.
The Canary Islander has recovered from a right quadriceps injury, and took to the field after 76 days out. He replaced Lewandowski on 57 minutes and played an important role in the team's victory.
Three from three at the Reale Arena
Saturday also saw Xavi Hernández become the blaugrana coach with the best winning record at the Reale Arena, surpassing the two wins by Ernesto Valverde, Frank Rijkaard and Ferdinand Daucik there. Real Sociedad has always been considered a tough place to go, but the Catalan coach has managed three wins out of three.
The first was during the 21/22 season, Aubameyang scoring the goal in the 0-1 win after 11 minutes. The second was an excellent 1-4 win in the matchday two fixture of the 22/23 LaLiga season, Lewandowski scoring in the first minute, before Dembélé, Ansu Fati and another from Lewandowski took the game away from the hosts in the second half after they had equalised in the first.