La Real were down to ten men for more than half of the game but enjoyed clear chances and missed a very clear goal. The txuri urdin gave it their all but were eliminated from Copa del Rey.
Real didn't start the match very well, being clearly dominated by Barça, that pushed hard in the first minutes. However, the best chance fell to Imanol's side. A fine individual move by Marín ended in a shot by Kubo that bounced off the crossbar. Just before the break, Brais was shown a straight red card for a hard tackle on Sergio and the tie was uphill all the way.
The second half was not for the faint-hearted. The realistas had a very clear chance to equalize. Sorloth failed to push a Kubo cross into the net. Barça, as expected, was superior and, despite not scoring more goals, had many chances to do so, including Gavi's effort that hit the crossbar. Almost in stoppage time, after a local mistake, Navarro and Carlos Fernandez missed two great chances. In the last minute, another clear shot by Olasagasti was saved by the keeper.
The end of a beautiful dream. The draw did not help and that is a key factor in this tournament. The realistas bid farewell to la Copa with pride and with their heads held high. Aurrera, Reala!
Match sheet:
FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Koundé, Araujo, Christensen (Alonso, min.90), Balde (Rapinha, min.78), Sergio (cap), De Jong, Gavi, Pedri (Kessie, min.77), Dembelé (Ansu Fati, min.85) and Lewandowsky.
Real Sociedad: Remiro, Aritz, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico (Aihen, min.46), Zubimendi, Brais Méndez, Marín (Olasagasti, min.78), Take (Navarro, min.78), Oyarzabal (Barrene, min.46) and Sorloth (Carlos Fernández, min.87).
Goal: 1-0: Dembelé, min.52.
Referee: Gil Manzano. Booked Sergio and Pedri for FC Barcelona and Zubimendi for Real Sociedad. Sent off Brais Méndez in the 40th minute.