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BARCELONA, Spain -- Four days after affirming its European credentials by toppling Manchester City, Barcelona slumped to a stinging 3-1 loss at Real Sociedad to relinquish the provisional Spanish league lead to Real Madrid on Saturday. Gareth Bale scored a blistering long-range strike to help Madrid brush aside Elche 3-0 at home, and Barcelona was unable to match that with a win. Instead, it was overrun by Sociedads dynamic attack led by forwards Antoine Griezmann and Carlos Vela. Barcelonas defeat confirmed the change in course in the league title race over the past two months, leaving Madrid in command and waiting to see if Atletico can keep up when it visits Osasuna on Sunday. After starting the season with 13 wins and a draw, Barcelona has dropped points in four of its last seven games. Barcelona coach Gerard Martino shuffled his lineup from Tuesdays Champions League victory at City and tried to reinforce his defence by playing with two holding midfielders in Sergio Busquets and Alex Song. The move backfired when Song scored an own goal in the 32nd minute in the first of several defensive lapses that doomed the defending champions. Lionel Messi equalized in the 36th, only for Griezmann to restore the hosts advantage after an error by defender Marc Bartra in the 54th before setting up David Zurutuza in the 59th. The loss left Barcelona three points behind Madrid, the first time it has trailed its fierce rival this season. Atletico is also three points behind Madrid before it plays on Sunday. The last time Barcelona lost by more than one goal was a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in May 2013. Martino took the blame for the humbling defeat. "Real (Sociedad) deserved to win," he said. "I didnt make the correct reading of the game. The decision not to change was also a mistake." Madrid won its third straight game without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was finishing a three-game suspension. Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 34th. Bale then squashed Elches timid second-half surge with a blast from about 25 metres in the 72nd before substitute Isco Alarcon sealed the victory in the 81st. Bale was having a discreet outing until his superb strike that hit the underside of the bar and bounced in, securing the three points that made Madrid the overnight pacesetters. "I said My goodness, what a goal when I saw the ball pass by," Madrid fullback Dani Carvajal said. Madrid will visit Schalke 04 on Wednesday in the Champions League final 16 enjoying an unbeaten streak of 26 games in all competitions. Madrid then plays at crosstown rival Atletico next weekend in a highly anticipated league meeting. Also, Celta Vigo fought back for a 1-1 draw at home against 10-man Getafe to leave the visitors winless in the last 10 rounds, while Malaga drew 0-0 at Almeria. Martino was dismissed by the referee during halftime, and Barcelonas first-year manager had to witness the rare sight of his team being thoroughly dismantled from the Anoeta Stadium stands as the festive home fans soaked up their big win. The victory moved Sociedad one point out of fourth place and Spains last Champions League spot as the Basque side deployed its best version of its up-tempo attack to take a good measure of vengeance for Barcelona eliminating it from the Copa del Rey the previous week. Sociedad was unlucky not to widen the final margin when a disheartened Barcelona appeared to tire in the final minutes. Vela almost capped his outstanding performance in the 81st but his shot hit the post. Sociedad went ahead when Gorka Elustondo muscled by Song to meet Sergio Canales cross, which Elustondo appeared to graze with his head before it hit Song in the chest and landed in the net. Messi combined with Martin Montoya to level when Sergio Busquets craftily let Montoyas pass run between his legs for Messi to rifle it inside the upright of Claudio Bravos goal. Sociedad, however, got the winner when Bartra headed Bravos goalkick back toward his own area, where Vela was quick to pounce and crossed for Griezmann to volley in his 15th league goal of the season. Fake Vans Free Shiping . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. Cheap Fake Vans . -- Without Carey Price, the run for a first Stanley Cup in 21 years got steeper and longer for the Montreal Canadiens. http://www.fakevans.com/ .com) - Lloyd Sam struck in stoppage time on Wednesday as Red Bull New York hung on for a crucial 1-0 win over Atlantic Cup rivals D. Fake Vans For Sale . -- Hal Steinbrenner says Alex Rodriguez is "a great player" and "obviously an asset," but the New York Yankees managing general partner wouldnt discuss the third basemans possible return to the team following a season-long suspension. Wholesale Fake Vans . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. PHILADELPHIA -- Nikolaj Ehlers is a two-sport star who credits his time on the soccer pitch with helping his game on the ice. Ehlers, who played for Denmarks national team until he was 14 before concentrating on hockey, was selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the ninth overall pick in the NHL draft on Friday night. The five-foot-10, 176-pounder was fourth in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 104 points (49-55) in 63 games with the Halifax Mooseheads this past season. He feels that his soccer skills have helped him develop more speed on the ice, one of the key elements of his game. "I think Im a fast forward," he said. "I think I have a lot of speed I can use on the wing. I like to set up some nice plays and I like to score some goals." Ehlers was the first player from the QMJHL to be selected in the 2014 draft. The 18-year-old took the leagues rookie of the year and offensive rookie of the year honours. Ehlers also had 28 points (11-17) in 16 post-season games for the Mooseheads. "I found myself becoming more of a fan when I watched him play," said Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. "Any time he got the puck, you felt like something was going to happen. "Hes not the biggest guy when it comes to sizze, but he plays with such good hockey sense that he knows when to take an opportunity to go, and not really put himself in harms way to try to make a play.dddddddddddd" Ehlers speed helps compensate for his relatively slight build. "He doesnt have a lot of weight on him so youre going to want him to continue to grow, but hes a pretty strong player," said Cheveldayoff. "The way he plays the game and the way he moves out there, he has some hidden strength that a lot of players maybe his size dont." Ehlers said he planned to hit the gym over the summer. "Obviously, Ive got to get a little bit bigger and stronger," he said. "I can use my speed to get out of the rough time on the ice, but Im not afraid to get hit or hit somebody." Cheveldayoff said the youngster is a well-rounded individual. "His hockey sense is right up there," he said. "And his characters not far behind. This is a player that every time we had an opportunity to meet with him, we didnt want the interview to end. Hes going to be an exciting player for a long time." Ehlers father, Heinz, was drafted 30 years ago by the New York Rangers (No. 188 overall). He spent his 16-season pro career in Europe. ' ' '