The league leaders arrived at El Sadar knowing victory would extend their lead over Real Madrid to five points after their rivals’ shock defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Monday night. They faced an Osasuna side rudely though, sixth in the table with three wins from their last five games.
The championship Pique was dropped from the bench in Barcelona’s last game before leaving 6 HOURS AGO Barca looked nervous in the early stages and, with six minutes on the clock, conceded. Sergio Busquets had lost the ball on the edge of the area, gifting shots to Ruben Garcia and John Moncaiola.
The latter was cleared for a corner, with Ruben Garcia’s delivery falling nicely for David Garcia. Received a free header, Unai Garcia let it go through his legs – meaning all three Garcias on the pitch had a hand on goal – and bounced into the back of the net.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors just after the half-hour mark. Lewandowski, booked for dragging behind Nacho Vidal, earned a second yellow card for David Garcia as he tackled a bouncing ball.
Ferran Torres thought he had equalized just before half-time but was ruled offside before tapping in Jordi Alba’s cross. However, he gave Barca a glimmer of hope that he could turn things around.
That hope was heightened when, minutes after the break, Alba whipped in a cross that deflected at the feet of Pedri. He attacked through a crowd of players and made it 1-1.
Chimy Avila could have won it for Osasuna late on, almost lobbing Marc-Andre ter Stegen from out wide on the left, only for the Barcelona keeper to backpedal and hit the ball over the crossbar.
In the end, though, Rafinha made a game-changing contribution just minutes after Ousmane Dembele came on. Frenkie de Jong threw in a long ball from the back and the Brazilian met it with a header, curling a header past Osasuna goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez to grab all three points.

THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION

Pique misses the final farewell. Although he started the game on the bench, Gerard Pique was expected to feature in some capacity in his final appearance before his retirement. Instead, he was sent off after protesting with the referee, Jesus Gil Manzano, at half-time.
Barca were disappointed that Unai Garcia had brought down Marcos Alonso in the box on the corner that led to Osasuna’s opener, but Pique may have wished he had protested less aggressively. Then again, given that Gil Manzano handed out eight yellow cards and two reds in total, maybe the referee was a bit over the top.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona). Worth it for that last ball alone, but De Jong was also a steady presence in midfield as Barca wobbled after Lewandowski was sent off. If the result had gone the other way, Avila would have been the standout player due to a live performance. However, De Jong’s cool head and eye for a pass made the difference.

PLAYER RATINGS

Health: Fernandez 7, Vidal 6, U Garcia 6, D Garcia 7, Cruz 6, Oroz 6, Torro 6, Moncayola 7, Gomez 6, Avila 8, R Garcia 6 Subs: K Garcia 6, Brasanac 5, Pena 6, Budimir 5, Barja 5 Barcelona: Ter Stegen 7, Balde 7, Christensen 6, Alonso 6, Alba 7, Busquets 4, De Jong 8, Pedri 8, Torres 6, Lewandowski 2, Dembele 7 Subs: Gavi 6, Fati 5, Raphinha 7, Riad N/A

MAJOR COMPETITION FACTS

6′ GOAL! Osasuna has the lead! From a corner, David Garcia receives a free header, Unai Garcia lets it bounce between his legs and, having deceived Ter Stegen, nestles into the back of the net. Barcelona want it canceled for a foul on Alonso, but they do nothing. 31′ RED CARD! Lewandowski counters a David Garcia bounce ball, but the shoulder charges the Osasuna centre-back, catching him in the face with his forearm. Gil Manzano gets a second yellow and then a red. 45′ RED CARD! Pique, who was on the bench, was sent off for arguing with the officials at half-time. This was his last chance to play for Barca before retiring. 48′ GOAL! What a start to the second half for Barca. Alba whips in a cross, which is deflected to Pedri, who fires a shot into the bottom corner. 85′ GOAL! Well well well. Barca take the lead with five minutes to play after De Jong flicks a long ball to Rafinha, who curls a header past Fernandez.

BASIC STATISTICS

Barcelona have 37 points from 14 games in La Liga, which, according to Opta, is the second-highest at this stage in the competition after the 40 points they earned in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and the 37 in 2010-11. . Pedri, 19, has scored three goals in La Liga this season. No teenager has scored more in Europe’s top five leagues among all midfielders, although Jude Bellingham, also 19, has three for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.

The championship Dembele, De Jong strike as Barcelona beat Almeria in Pique’s farewell 05/11/2022 AT 19:15 The championship Lewandowski ‘not happy’ with Barca exit from Champions League, but asks for patience 31/10/2022 AT 13:25