European football: Koundé and Lewandowski on the mark in Barcelona’s comeback win

Barcelona secured a 2-1 comeback win against Real Sociedad on Sunday that sent them top of the La Liga standings after they turned the match around with goals from Jules Koundé and Robert Lewandowski either side of half-time.

Barcelona’s sixth win in seven matches moved the champions on to 19 points, one point above Real Madrid, as Real Sociedad remained on five points after their fourth defeat of the campaign.

“It was a team victory. They knew how to play and it was hard work, but we deserved it,” the Barcelona head coach, Hansi Flick, said.

Mikel Oyarzabal headed wide from Gonçalo Guedes’s pass in the 10th minute as Sociedad looked to capitalise on the rare chances that came their way, while Barcelona controlled the game with 87% possession in the first half.

A minute later, the Sociedad keeper Álex Remiro made a diving save to deny Marcus Rashford’s attempt from inside the box, and kept out Roony Bardghji’s left-footed shot in the 24th minute.

Sociedad, however, took the lead on the half-hour against the run of play through the former Real Madrid right-back Álvaro Odriozola, who was making his first start of the season after fellow defender Jon Aramburu got injured during the warmup. Ander Barrenetxea beat Koundé in the box and crossed to an unmarked Odriozola, who finished right-footed from the edge of the six-yard box.

Barcelona equalised in the 43rd minute as Rashford’s corner found Koundé in the box and the French defender made no mistake with a header.

A confident Barcelona pushed for the winner in the second half, and Lamine Yamal made an impact less than a minute after coming on as a substitute. The 18-year-old, who was returning from a groin injury, dribbled past a defender and crossed to Lewandowski, whose header went in off the post in the 58th minute to put the hosts 2-1 up. Lewandowski could have scored again a minute later but shot over the bar from Dani Olmo’s back-heel.

Sociedad almost hit back when Aihen Muñoz found Oyarzabal with a through ball, but his shot was tipped over by the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. The visitors went close to an equaliser in the 84th minute when Takefusa Kubo’s shot hit the crossbar and, a minute later, Lewandowski’s shot at the other end also came off the woodwork.

Barcelona, who are on a five-match winning run in all competitions, host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, before continuing their La Liga title defence at Sevilla next Sunday. “It’s good, but it’s a long road ahead … tomorrow we will start focusing all our attention on PSG,” Flick said.

Milan held on for a 2-1 win against Napoli at San Siro to go top of the Serie A standings on goal difference, after Christian Pulisic scored one and created the other before the home side went down to 10 men and conceded a penalty.

Napoli dropped their first points of the season in a game where Milan looked in control at half-time through goals from Alexis Saelemaekers and Pulisic but Pervis Estupiñán’s red card and Kevin De Bruyne’s penalty almost rescued the visitors.

“There will be other games like this of suffering,” the Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri, said. “But playing them with this spirit it will be easier to bring them home.”

There is a three-way tie at the top with Milan, Napoli and Roma all on 12 points. Juventus sit one point behind after their 1-1 draw with Atalanta on Saturday.