Barcelona widened their lead at the top of the La Liga table to three points with a dominant victory over Osasuna.
The Catalan side returned to league action sooner than anticipated, as this fixture was unusually rescheduled for Thursday night, just days after the international break—a decision that frustrated both teams. As a result, Barcelona were without Raphinha, who had played for Brazil early Wednesday morning, while Osasuna opted to bench their top scorer, Ante Budimir, who had scored twice in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.
This match was initially set to take place earlier in the month but was postponed following the tragic passing of Barcelona’s team doctor, Carles Minarro Garcia. Prior to kick-off in the rescheduled game, both clubs paid a heartfelt tribute to honor his memory.
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Barcelona wasted no time asserting their dominance. Ferran Torres, starting in place of top scorer Robert Lewandowski, opened the scoring in the 11th minute, capitalizing on a precise cross from Alejandro Balde. Ten minutes later, the hosts had a chance to double their lead when Dani Olmo was fouled in the box by Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera. Although Herrera initially redeemed himself with a superb penalty save, a VAR review determined encroachment, and the penalty was retaken. This time, Olmo made no mistake, sending Herrera the wrong way to give Barcelona a comfortable lead.
Osasuna showed signs of life in the second half, threatening to cut the deficit, but Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to seal the victory. He finished off a rapid counter-attack, scoring his 23rd La Liga goal of the season and putting the result beyond doubt.
This eighth consecutive win for Barcelona extends their lead to three points over Real Madrid and seven points over Atletico Madrid, with just 10 games left to play. However, the victory was marred by an injury to Dani Olmo, who was forced to leave the field in the first half. With crucial matches against Girona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and a Champions League quarter-final clash with Borussia Dortmund on the horizon, manager Hansi Flick will be hoping the injury isn’t serious.
