La liga Dramatic 2-1 Victory: Barcelona edge past Osasuna with late Lewandowski penalty
Barcelona kept up the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Osasuna at El Sadar on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski was the hero for the visitors, scoring a late penalty after being fouled by Alejandro Catena, who was sent off for his challenge.
The Polish striker had also scored the winner in the previous game against Villarreal, and his coach Xavi Hernández praised his natural scoring ability. Lewandowski joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich last year and helped them reclaim the league title from their arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona took the lead in first-half injury time when Jules Koundé headed in a corner by Ilkay Gundogan. The French defender, who arrived from Sevilla this summer, scored his first goal for his new club.
Osasuna equalized in the 76th minute through substitute Chimy Ávila, who scored a stunning solo goal that reminded many of Lionel Messi’s exploits for Barcelona. The Argentine forward dribbled past several defenders and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner.
However, Barcelona responded quickly and regained the lead in the 86th minute when Lewandowski converted from the spot after being brought down by Catena. The red card for the Osasuna defender made it even harder for the hosts to salvage a point.https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona?s=09
The game also saw the debuts of João Cancelo and João Félix for Barcelona, who joined on loan from Manchester City and Atletico Madrid respectively on deadline day. The Portuguese duo came on as second-half substitutes and added some flair to Barcelona’s attack.
Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate was proud of his team’s performance despite the defeat. He said that they played a great game and that this was the way forward for them. Osasuna reached the Copa del Rey final last season and are known for their physical and aggressive style of play.
Barcelona moved up to third place in La Liga with 10 points from four games, two points behind Real Madrid, who have a game in hand. Osasuna dropped to ninth place with six points from four games.
Here are some stats from the game:
- Barcelona had 63% possession and 15 shots, while Osasuna had 37% possession and 11 shots.
- Lewandowski scored his second goal of the season for Barcelona, while Chimy scored his first goal of the season for Osasuna.
- Koundé scored his first goal for Barcelona in his fourth appearance, while Cancelo and Félix made their debuts for the club.
– Catena received his first red card of the season for Osasuna, while Martínez made his debut for Barcelona in the final minutes.
- Lamal made his third consecutive start for Barcelona at the age of 16. He was called up for Spain’s national team for the first time on Friday.