Barcelona ran out snug 3-0 winners of their rearranged conflict with Osasuna to go three factors away from Actual Madrid on the prime of La Liga.
Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo gave Barca a commanding lead going into the break earlier than substitute Robert Lewandowski wrapped up the factors for Hansi Flick’s facet within the second half.
The sport on the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium had initially been scheduled for Saturday 8 March. Nevertheless, the sport was postponed simply minutes earlier than kick-off because of the demise of the Catalan membership’s physician, Carles Minarro Garcia.
Earlier this week, Flick had publicly bemoaned the La Liga fixture scheduling, with the sport coming simply days after the worldwide break.
Ronald Araujo was a shock addition to the bench after the Barca had beforehand dominated the Uruguayan out of the tie attributable to damage.
Raphinha, who featured for Brazil of their 4-1 drubbing by the hands of World Champions and fierce rivals Brazil on Wednesday, missed the match. However within the absence of one in every of their key artistic sparks this season, the Catalan membership have been good worth for the win.
🚨 FULL TIME! 🚨#BarçaOsasuna pic.twitter.com/DL0DGcrdcH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 27, 2025
How the motion unfolded
It was a recreation that the hosts largely dominated and so they have been forward inside 11 minutes when some neat build-up play from Frenkie de Jong and Alejandro Balde resulted within the latter sending in a cross from the lefty that was met by Ferran.
5 minutes later it was two when Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera took out Olmo within the space. Herrera appeared to have redeemed himself when he saved the Spaniard’s spot-kick fantastically, however VAR adjudged that Jon Moncayola had encroached and the penalty was retaken.
Olmo made no mistake on the second time of asking, sending Herrera the fallacious strategy to double Barca’s benefit.
The attacking midfielder then limped off with an damage, a lot to the dismay of Flick, who had this week expressed his unhappiness on the timing of this fixture – and the La Liga calendar extra broadly – for its impression on participant welfare.
However the Barca boss might take some consolation from the very fact his facet have been in complete management.
Shortly earlier than half-time, Ferran went shut to creating it three however his sweetly struck free-kick crashed towards the woodwork.
Ferran brings straight class.#BarçaOsasuna | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/rqm7oEiAMr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 27, 2025
The guests, nevertheless, weren’t but completely down and out. Instantly after the restart, they need to have halved the deficit when a free-kick discovered the top of Jorge Herrando, however the defender might solely divert his effort large of the mark.
Simply after the hour mark, Ferran was changed by Lewandowski and it took all of 15-minutes for the Poland worldwide to search out the web and seal the factors.
Barca had been defending their aim one minute, however simply seconds later Lewandowski climbed to fulfill Pablo Torre’s cross and he made no mistake with the header.
By this level, it was all however over as a contest with the hosts content material to see out the rest of the sport with relative ease.
Some positive play from Lamine Yamal almost added a fourth late on when {the teenager} teed up Pau Victor however Herrera was equal to the trouble.
Ultimately, it proved to be snug evening’s work for Flick and co. who made essentially the most of their recreation in hand to provide respiration area between themselves and title rivals Actual.
