Reason Lewandowski's goal was ruled offside against Real Sociedad explained

 

• Spanish La Liga leaders Barcelona fell to a 1-0 loss against Real Sociedad on Sunday evening at Anoeta
• The Catalan giants failed to make a shot on target in a La Liga match for the second time since at least the 2003/04 season
• Hansi Flick's side thought they had taken an early lead, but Robert Lewandowski's effort was ruled out for offside

The primary reason Robert Lewandowski's goal for Barcelona against Real Sociedad was ruled offside has come to light.

The Catalan giants suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday evening, marking their first loss at the Anoeta since 2016.

 Barcelona struggled to find their rhythm in the league clash, notably missing key players like 17-year-old Lamine Yamal.

Dependable stars Lewandowski and Raphinha were unable to break through Sociedad's defence, resulting in Barcelona's first goalless performance at Anoeta in 31 years.

With the team appearing both fatigued and error-prone, the league leaders will likely welcome the upcoming international break as a chance to regroup.

Why Lewandowski's goal was ruled offside

Barcelona thought they had taken an early lead just minutes into the match when Lewandowski confidently found the back of the net.

Their celebrations, however, were short-lived as VAR determined the Polish striker's effort to be narrowly offside. Despite replays suggesting Lewandowski might have been onside, the goal was disallowed.

The semi-automated offside graphics were displayed later, only adding to the controversy.

The broadcast photo seemed to confirm that Lewandowski's toe was the reason his goal was ruled out as offside, per ESPN.

However, according to Tribuna, the system mistakenly identified Sociedad defender Aguerd’s foot as Lewandowski’s, leading to the offside call.

In essence, the offside line was mistakenly drawn from Lewandowski’s foot, resulting in the decision being based on Aguerd’s position.