Barcelona edge past Osasuna to go seven points clear in La Liga

Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna

Barcelona have increased their La Liga winning streak to seven matches, having overcome a resilient Osasuna side at the Spotify Camp Nou.

Los Rojillos set the tone early on with five defenders and three midfielders behind the ball, as they sought to make it difficult for Barcelona to create chances. They were few and far between for the Catalans, although they did have the ball in the back of the net on 23 minutes when Ferran Torres headed home from Marcus Rashford’s cross – but the Spain international was denied his 12th La Liga goal of the season by VAR, who found that Raphinha was offside in the lead-up.

Barcelona had resorted to long shots at times, with Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde and Raphinha all having efforts from long range that did not trouble Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera. Ferran did go very close with a spectacular effort from a few yards out, but it mattered little as the hosts finally broke through in the second half.

The goal came from the foot of Raphinha, who collected Pedri’s pass before firing across Herrera and into the far corner. The Brazilian, who had a tough time of things up until that point, was visibly relieved to have broken the deadlock, and the same could be said for the Spotify Camp Nou crowd.

He would seal the victory with four minutes remaining, as Jules Kounde’s cross was deflected into his path a couple of yards, which meant he could make no mistake.

Barcelona stretch La Liga advantage over Real Madrid

It was a tough match for Barcelona, but Hansi Flick will be delighted to see his side come through it. Their reward is to extend their lead over Real Madrid to seven points, with Xabi Alonso’s side in action on Sunday against Alaves.

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