Alarms raised over Barrenetxea: leaves in tears just before Spain duty

Barrenetxea suffered a hamstring injury in the 69th minute after an outstanding display, leaving him in tears and in doubt for Spain's November international break.

Ander Barrenetxea was delivering a man-of-the-match performance for Real Sociedad when disaster struck. In the 67th minute, the winger produced a moment of pure class, sprinting from his own half and threading a perfect pass between four defenders for Orri Óskarsson to open the scoring.

Just two minutes later, Barrenetxea felt a sharp pain in the back of his thigh while running into space. He immediately fell to the ground and was unable to continue, breaking down in tears as medical staff attended to him. The injury appeared to be a significant muscle tear.

The timing is particularly cruel for Barrenetxea. He had just been recalled to the Spain squad for the November international window, seven months after his first call-up and debut against Egypt. A similar muscle injury last season cost him a World Cup spot. He left the pitch to applause from the Anoeta crowd, but faces an anxious wait for the official medical report.