Antoine Griezmann has started clicking in Barcelona's attack.
The France forward had struggled to get in sync with new star teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez before everything fell into place in a 3-0 victory at Eibar on Saturday, pushing Barcelona to the top of the standings.
Griezmann scored the opening goal and made key passes on goals by Messi and Suárez to get Barcelona's most convincing victory on the road this season.
Barcelona's Luis Suarez shoots on goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Eibar and FC Barcelona at the Ipurua stadium in Eibar, Spain, Saturday Oct. 19, 2019. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said that he had known it was "a question of time and games" before Griezmann settled in.
"At the end, the great players always find one another and can feel where the other one will make his run or pass. They have worked and played well. And this is the reward."
The defending champion took a one-point lead over Real Madrid before it visits Mallorca later on Saturday.
Atlético Madrid continued to miss the goals that Griezmann took with him when he left last offseason for Camp Nou.
Diego Simeone's side conceded a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Valencia after Atlético went down to 10 men when forward João Félix injured his right ankle with all three substitutions made.
BIG THREE
Barcelona played its best away match of the campaign, easily breaking Eibar's attempt to pressure.
Griezmann got Barcelona going in the 13th minute when Clement Lenglet met his run behind Eibar's high defensive line with a long ball that left him alone to beat goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic.
Dmitrovic denied Messi before halftime, but couldn't turn back his shot in the 58th after a slick passing combination by Suárez and Griezmann set up Barcelona's all-time scorer in the area.
The three linked up again in the 66th when Griezmann launched Messi with a through ball. Messi then slid the ball over for Suárez to finish off on the break.
Valverde's team has won five matches across all competitions after an erratic start to the season.
Barcelona plays at Slavia Prague in the Champions League group phase on Wednesday.
PAREJO FREE KICK
Atlético was in control when Diego Costa converted a first-half penalty after Denis Cheryshev used his hand to block a ball on the edge of the area. The referee consulted the video review to make the ruling.
Cheryshev hit the crossbar in Valencia's best chance to level from open play. But two minutes after Félix limped off to leave Atlético a man down, Parejo bent a free kick over the defensive barrier and beat goalkeeper Jan Oblak with eight minutes remaining.
Atlético is in fourth place behind the surprising Granada in third. It has scored just three goals and earned one win in six rounds.
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Barcelona defeated Real Sociedad 1-0 on Thursday to make sure Real Madrid will have to wait at least another week to celebrate the Spanish league title.
Barcelona's away victory reduced its gap to Madrid to 15 points, and it can further cut it to 12 points on Sunday if it defeats Rayo Vallecano at home in a game it has in hand.
Barcelona and Madrid, which won 3-1 at Osasuna on Wednesday, will have five games left. Madrid, trying to clinch its second title in three seasons, doesn’t play this weekend.
Barcelona's plaers celebrate after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
“Madrid was lucky that it took a while for us to join the fight,” Barcelona defender Dani Alves said.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored with a close-range header in the 11th minute to give Barcelona its first win after consecutive home losses against Cádiz in the league and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. The Catalan club had not lost two straight home games since 2003.
The victory against Sociedad left Barcelona tied on points with Sevilla, which defeated Levante earlier Thursday to stay in position to secure a Champions League place next season. Second place also is important as it guarantees a spot in the Spanish Super Cup.
Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring the opening goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
“We suffered a lot but in the end we got three golden points and stayed in second place,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández said. “It was an important victory even though we didn’t play too well.”
Defending champion Atlético Madrid, which was held to a 0-0 home draw against relegation-threatened Granada on Wednesday, stayed two points behind Barcelona and Sevilla. Fifth-place Real Betis trailed Atlético by four points and was two ahead of Sociedad.
Sociedad has not beaten Barcelona in 12 straight league matches. The Basque Country club hadn't lost in seven consecutive league games at home, all of them with clean sheets.
Barcelona's Dani Alves, left, fights for the ball with Real Sociedad's Diego Rico during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
Barcelona extended its unbeaten streak on the road to 13 league matches, having won five in a row.
Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo left injured early in the second half, and the team's other central defender, Gerard Piqué, appeared to get injured in the first half but stayed until being substituted in the 82nd while being loudly jeered by the Sociedad fans.
Piqué, who also heard some boos every time he touched the ball during the game, has been in the spotlight in recent days after stolen audio leaked to the media exposed a series of conversations between him and Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales talking about behind-the-scenes negotiations on several issues.
Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, left, vies for the ball with Real Sociedad's Igor Zubeldia during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
SEVILLA RECOVERS
Sevilla improved its chances of making it to the Champions League with a 3-2 win at second-to-last-place Levante.
Jesús “Tecatito” Corona scored two first-half goals and Jules Koundé added another after halftime.
Barcelona's Dani Alves reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
Levante captain José Luis Morales had to be comforted by teammates and opponents after the match because of a missed penalty kick that could have equalized the game at 2-2 in the second half. Koundé gave Sevilla a 3-1 lead about 10 minutes later before Roberto Soldado pulled the hosts closer again.
Levante stayed tied with last-place Alavés, six points from safety.
CÁDIZ FALLS AGAIN
Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, left, tries to score next to Real Sociedad's goalkeeper Alex Remiro during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
Cádiz followed up its stunning 1-0 win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium with a 3-2 home loss against Athletic Bilbao.
The result left Cádiz just outside the relegation zone.
Eighth-place Athletic was up 3-0 by the 33rd. It played a man down from the 71st after Mikel Vesga was sent off.
Barcelona's head coach Xavi Hernandez gestures during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona at the Reale Arena stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, Thursday, April 21, 2022. (AP PhotoAlvaro Barrientos)
RELIEF FOR RAYO
Rayo won 1-0 at Espanyol to end a 13-match winless streak in the league and move closer to salvation.
Sergi Guardiola scored in the 42nd to leave the southern Madrid club seven points from the relegation zone in 14th place. Espanyol, sitting in 12th-place, was two points ahead of Rayo.
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