Barcelona strengthened their position at the top of La Liga by defeating Osasuna 3-0 on Thursday evening.
Although Barcelona was without standout player Raphinha, who was busy with international duties for Brazil, and Robert Lewandowski started the match on the bench due to a knock he sustained while playing for Poland, they still managed to win comfortably, moving three points ahead of Real Madrid.
With Lewandowski unavailable, Ferran Torres stepped up to lead the line and scored within the first ten minutes, finishing off a precise cross from Alejandro Balde.
Just seven minutes later, Dani Olmo was sent through one-on-one by Pedri and was fouled by Osasuna’s Sergio Herrera, leading to a penalty being awarded. However, Olmo had his initial spot-kick saved. Fortunately for him, VAR intervened and ruled that an Osasuna player had encroached into the box, allowing Olmo to successfully convert his retaken penalty.
Unfortunately, shortly after scoring, Olmo had to be substituted due to a muscle injury that caused him to limp off the pitch.
In a dominant first half for Barcelona, they nearly scored a third goal before the break, but Torres’ impressive free-kick struck the crossbar.
Lewandowski came off the bench in the second half and scored in the 75th minute, directing a powerful header into the net after a brilliant delivery from Fermin Lopez.
Despite securing the victory that placed them three points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the league, French international Jules Kounde voiced his criticism regarding the league’s scheduling decisions. He stated,
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Barça, Osasuna, or Real Madrid; when it happens, it’s disrespectful to the players. We’re not machines, and to perform at our best and give the fans what they want, we need rest.”
