Barcelona come from behind to beat Osasuna
Sports Desk, Nov 8 (EFE).- FC Barcelona were down a man and trailing 1-0 at the break Tuesday away to Osasuna, but rebounded to win 2-1 and assure themselves of heading into the World Cup hiatus in sole possession of first place in LaLiga.
The Blaugrana improved to 37 points, 5 better than defending champions Real Madrid, while Osasuna are sixth on 23 points.
Looking for a sixth victory in their first eight home matches, Osasuna went ahead in the 6th minute with a goal by David Garcia and the supporters at Pamplona’s El Sadar erupted.
While the visitors had most of the ball, they struggled to create chances and striker Robert Lewandowski let his frustration get the better of him, committing a pair of needless fouls that saw him sent off in the 31st minute.
The Polish international’s first red card in a decade was bad news for a team that has come to rely on the former Bayern Munich man since he came over to the Catalan club during the summer.
As the first half ended, Barcelona’s Gerard Pique – who began his last game as a professional on the bench – lashed out at the referee and received a straight red card, not the ideal end for a player who won 30 trophies in 14 seasons with the club.
But the Blaugrana pulled level three minutes into the second half as a defensive error by Osasuna opened the door for Pedri to smash the ball into the bottom left corner.
Chimy Avila tested Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a fierce strike in the 68th minute and the sides were still deadlocked 1-1 with five minutes left in regulation when late sub Raphinha put Barcelona ahead with a header from close range. EFE le/dr
