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Barcelona extend impressive unbeaten streak with comfortable win over Osasuna
Barcelona moved three points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Osasuna at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The match was originally postponed earlier this month following the death of Barcelona’s club doctor Carles Minarro Garcia. However, the rescheduled fixture was met with frustration from both clubs due to its proximity to the international break.
Hansi Flick was forced to rotate his squad, resting Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, while several players returned fatigued from international duty. Despite those absences, Barcelona dominated from the outset and extended their unbeaten run to 19 matches in all competitions.
Ferran Torres gave the hosts an early lead in the 11th minute, finishing off a well-worked move by turning in Alejandro Balde’s low cross from inside the six-yard box. Dani Olmo doubled the advantage ten minutes later from the penalty spot after being brought down by Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.
Olmo’s first attempt was saved, but a retake was ordered after an Osasuna player encroached into the penalty area. The midfielder made no mistake with his second effort, though his night was cut short by an injury later in the first half.
Barcelona controlled possession and limited Osasuna to no shots in the first period, asserting their dominance with 78% possession. The visitors showed greater resistance after the break, but they were unable to test Marc-André ter Stegen.
Lewandowski, introduced as a substitute, put the result beyond doubt in the 77th minute with a close-range header, marking his 23rd goal of the season.
After the match, Flick praised his side’s performance under difficult circumstances. “Today we did the best we could given the situation,” he said. “You could see the fans were with us, and that’s the best thing that can happen.”
Despite the three points, Flick admitted concern over the growing injury list, with Olmo’s fitness now in doubt ahead of a crucial run of fixtures. “We paid a high price tonight,” he said.
The victory keeps Barcelona as the only unbeaten team in Europe’s top five leagues in 2025. They now have 63 points from 28 games, with Real Madrid trailing on 60 and Atletico Madrid on 56.
Barcelona now turn their attention to Sunday’s league match against Girona, the next challenge in a packed run of fixtures across three competitions.
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