Osasuna vs Barcelona, summary: Lewandowski penalty, score, goals & highlights | LaLiga EA Sports 2023/24
Osasuna vs FC Barcelona: as it happened
That's all, folks!
Thanks for joining in on the AS USA live coverage between Osasuna and FC Barcelona!
Make sure to check out all the latest sports news throughout the week on en.as.com.
Joe
Xavi post-game quotes:
We didn't play with the ball enough... we suffered but we did it.
It's always really difficult here in El Sadar, but I'm happy.
They put crosses in, they are an intense team.
We are happy and satisfied with the win.
I feel they closed the central spaces really well, we didn't generate enough chances.
They are 3 really important points for us in a tough stadium.
We used Cancelo to give us more numbers in the midfield as well as on the wing.
[Félix] can play on the left, in the middle and on the right. I like both Joãos.
Everyone played their part in the win.
Ander Gillenea / AFP
De Jong given MVP
Barcelona's Dutch midfielder was rightly given the MVP award for the game.
According to the Sofascore boffins, he had a 93% pass success rate and 100% successful dribbles.
Full time report:
Well, that was intense!
Barcelona managed to squeeze past a resilient Osasuna side who probably had the better chances overall.
Xavi's side, after suffering heavily in the first half, went ahead with a header from Joules Koundé, and went into the break a goal ahead.
The second half was much of the same, with the fantastic atmosphere growing with every home attack. The climax came when substitute and talisman, Chimy Ávila, smashed home from long range.
But it was not to be for Los Rojillos, who had a penalty awarded against them after Catena brought Lewandowski down. The Pole, after a quick VAR check, stepped up a slotted home.
FULL TIME!
Barcelona win by the smallest of margins against a superb Osasuna side!
We're still going here...
Barcelona win a corner after nice work between the Joãos. Another opportunity to run down the clock.
Barcelona are doing well to keep the ball in the corner...
Gavi wins the ball and heads straight for the corner; he passes through the lines to Balde but Chimy, with more energy in his legs, races back to clear.
Barcelona scramble and manage to defend a dangerous Osasuna corner.
Óscar Hernández, Xavi's brother and assistant, is booked for being a naughty boy...
Osasuna have Barcelona pinned into their box as they attack...
Iñigo Martínez grabbed Budimir as the striker ran into the box but the referee waved away the challenge!
MASSIVE PENALTY SHOUT FOR OSASUNA!!!
Raphinha & Iñigo Martínez ON
Lewandowski & Christensen OFF
TEN added minutes!
We're into the final minute of normal time; Barcelona are, as you might have guessed, trying to kill the game with possession.
Iker Muñoz with a golden chance to score! The ball never settled in a position to shoot but the Osasuna player took a wonderful touch inside the box.
Osasuna aren't going down lightly and they immediately win a corner.
Back underway.
That's Lewandowski's 34th goal in a Barcelona shirt.
Aitor jumped to his right and the striker rolled the ball into the other corner after a slight jump in his run up. Simple.
Catena is off for denying a goal-scoring chance without trying to get the ball. The penalty is about to be taken.
RED CARD FOR CATENA
Robert Lewandowski to take...
The ball came over the top and Catena just caught the Barça striker, causing him to go down like a dying swan.
Yellow card to Catena as he brought down Lewandowski inside the box!
PENALTY TO BARCELONA!!!!!!
What a noise we have inside El Sadar, it's truly one of Spain's great stadiums.
Nacho Vidal ON
Areso OFF
João Félix ON
Oriol Romeu OFF
The stadium, as predicted, is almost on fire.
Back underway.
The ball fell to Chimy on the edge of the box. He took one, two, three touches on his left foot before launching a Saturn V rocket from his boot and smashing the ball into the far corner!
TER STEGEN NEVER EVEN MOVED
WHAT A GOAL FROM CHIMY ÁVILA
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL
OSASUNA DRAW LEVEL
Chimy fires over the bar after finding an inch of space on the edfge of the box as Osasuna get down the left side of Barça's defence yet again.
Aitor and Iker Muñoz give each other a big high ten after clearing away Lewandowski's dangerous cross from the left.
Moncayola ON
Ibáñez OFF
And we've been given an offside by Cancelo.
Lewandowski wants a goal!
João Cancelo's cross with the outside of his boot was met by Lewandowski, who claims his shot went over the line!
BIG CHANCE FOR BARCELONA!!
Twenty minutes to go...
Maybe what Barcelona need o the pitch is a new attacking player, someone with a bit of flair and a goal-scoring touch.
No! Not Ansu Fati! I meant João Félix!
Osasuna get down the right and Areso fires in a low cross that is cleared for a corner by Christensen.
Barça are bailing water as things stand... and their bucket has a hole in the bottom.
A surge of laughter goes up around the ground as Lewandowski is heavily shoulder barged by Catena, who absolutely floors the Barcelona player.
No foul.
Osasuna are pinning Barcelona back into their own box and currently have their tails up, attacking relentlessly.
A big shout for a penalty as an Osasuna player is shoved over inside the box... the referee says no
It's a poor effort and Barça defend easily.
Osasuna corner incoming...
Kike Barja, Budimir & Chimy ON
Rubén G, Arnáiz and Raúl G OFF
Barcelona build up a slow attack that ends with a poor pass attempted by Lewandowski that is cut out. Osasuna counter-attack and win a corner.
Back underway.
That's Barcelona's entire right side changed by Xavi.
Cancelo & Ferran ON
S. Roberto & Yamal OFF
João Cancelo is preparing to come on.
Barcelona cannot find a second on the ball: Osasuna's press, driven on by the crowd, is smothering the blue shirts.
If Osasuna score, this stadium is going to explode...
Oriol Romeu plays what might be his first pass into the Osasuna box: unfortunately it's a poor effort that is terribly chipped straight into the grasp of Aitor.
Gavi is back!
An Osasuna attack goes to waste after Rubén García's cross is easily stopped by Ter Stegen in the Barça goal. However, that was a positive move from the home side, who had Barcelona scrambling as they doubled up again on the right side, where Balde was stood like a small child lost in his parents' second-choice supermarket.
We're back underway.
Gavi is still off the pitch.
It's Gavi's ear that is bleeding, and quite energetically so.
Gavi is down holding his face after taking an elbow in the eye from an Rubén García.
And now it's time for Osasuna to attack!
Lewandowski gets on the end of a sly pass through the lines from De Jong but not only was his shot off target, he was offside.
CHANCE FOR BARÇA!
It's a positive start from Barcelona, who have Osasuna pinned back in their own third.
New signing João Cancelo has started to warm up on the touchline alongside Ferran Torres.
21,966 fans are inside the stadium today.
Barcelona start with the ball and Osasuna press them hard, much like in the first half.
No changes for either side.
Second half underway!
Osasuna kick us off!
Almost ready to go!
Here come the players for the second half!
Will Barça get the record?
It will take a mammoth-sized effort to hold onto this result in such a hostile ground, so let's see if they can do it.
Half-time score:
Well, I'd be lying if I said that Barcelona deserve to be ahead.
Osasuna have piled on the pressure for 46 minutes and have been relentless, especially after a wobbly first 10 saw Barça have a string of good chances to score.
The home side have given poor Balde at left-back a torrid time, with Areso doubling up with his teammates to overload the player and take advantage of the space he leaves behind.
The chances for Osasuna have been saved by Ter Stegen, who, can now be forgiven for a few dodgy passes early on.
Barça, it must be said, have had their fair share of chances too: the closest, before the goal, coming from De Jong, who hit the post.
De Jong has led the side in the midfield and is perhaps the only bright spark of a Barça side who started well and finished well: everything else in the middle can probably be forgotten about.
Half time!
A late, late goal from Barça sees them go into the break ever-so-slightly in front!
A simple goal - a wonderful header from a corner!
The French defender jumped the highest and sent a beautiful header to the far corner of the goal!
We're into the final minute of normal time in the first half...
It's De Jong again for Barça, as it has been all game. This time, the midfielder drives through the midfield line of Osasuna and slides a delightful pass through towards Gavi, who is trying to break behind the defence. Areso covers well and clears.
A half chance for Barcelona as Kounde gets bored of playing it around the back line and fires a long-range effort that is saved by Aitor.
Areso is booked for a foul on Gavi.
Osasuna, with 5 minutes to go, are still piling on the pressure on Barça's defence.
Barça players are not happy at some of the decisions from the referee...
De Jong conducts an almost perfect move from the edge of the box before driving in, bouncing the ball off the feet of Lewandowski. The cross from the Dutch midfielder is eventually blocked and sent out of play.
Barcelona come forward for the first time in 3,000 years. Yamal skips past Juan Cruz and plays a weak cross into the centre of the box that is easily cleared.
Barcelona are struggling here; Osasuna are fully on top and are dragging poor Balde all over the pitch.
Lewandowski gets the first yellow of the game for a hand to Herrando's face.
The work down the right was simplybreathtaking: a stunning flick from Rubén García allowed Areso down the right and the cross met Aimar who shot towards the far corner... but Ter Stegen was there!!!
WHAT A MOVE FROM OSASUNA!!!!
WHAT A SAVE FROM TER STEGEN!!!!!
Lewandowski has dropped very, very deep, presumably in an effort to drag his team forward, as they've been very quiet for about 5 minutes now and allowed Osasuna to find their feet.
Catena connects with a dropping ball and hits a low shot that pinballs through a gaggle of players inside the box. Luckily for Barça, the ball slows right down and is nice and simple for Ter Stegen to collect.
Areso drives inside from the right, skips past one, two, three players and launches a missile towards goal... that is blocked.
I think we all saw his name in lights for a second!
The ball drops kindly to Lewandowski on the edge of the box and the striker fires a shot that flies centrally and into the warm grasp of Aitor.
Xavi is arguing with the fourth official. Tick that off your bingo card.
Fantastic work from Osasuna.
Aimar twists and turns in the middle of the pitch and plays to Arnaiz, whose shot is ferocious and well stopped by Ter Stegen after Kounde had forced the forward out wide.
BIG SAVE FROM TER STEGEN
Corner to Osasuna after another promising attack...
Ter Stegen punches away.
Osasuna decide it's their turn to attack and Areso does fabulously well against Balde on the right wing. The cross comes in but unfortunately for the home side nobody is there to meetit.
A great chance for the away side!
De Jong gets ahead of Balde and the left back finds him on the byline. The Dutchman pulls the ball back to the penalty spot but nobody is there to stick a foot on the end of the pass.
A couple of decisions in favour of Barcelona have really got the already loud crowd whistling like a box of mad parrots. The noise is tremendous!
Ter Stegen has made two errors at the back now, mainly thanks to Osasuna's uber-high press on the German. Something to keep an eye on, perhaps.
Osasuna's press, as you can probably tell from my recent comments, has been keeping the blaugrana at bay over the past couple of minutes. They away side are patiently waiting for the right moment to move into the final third.
I've just seen Xavi shout "SERGI" about five times to no reply from the right back. That's how loud it is at El Sadar...
Gundogan's run goes nowhere as he's fouled by Aimar, but my oh my, what a flick through the legs of the midfielder. *Drool emoji*
Great work from Kounde, who gets back to steal the long ball away from Arnaiz.
Ter Stegen collects the smart defensive header.
Romeu, after a long spell of possession, finds Yamal on the right. The winger takes a touch inside and shoots, which is blocked.
The ball bounces out to Gundogan in the box but the reactions from the German needed to be lightning fast just to make contact with the ball and he sent hisshot wide of the goal.
HUGE CHANCE FOR BARCELONA
A long ball nearly finds Lewandowski but Osasuna's back line moves well to close off the space for the Pole.
Ibáñez has Osasuna's first shot of the game: a nice effort from the right side of the box after Balde was caught out in his defensive third.
Juan Cruz at left-back does excellently well to get back and cover the spacethatYamal spotted and broke into; that was almost a 1vs1 for the young winger...
Balde gets forward and fires a low cross into the box which is well blocked by Catena.
Barça are settling into their possession game; a nice string of passes in the middle third have dragged various players out of position.
What a frantic start to the game!
Osasuna bite back with a few attacks but the ball ends in the hands of Ter Stegen.
De Jong chipped over to Gundogan on the line who, instead of shooting, played backwards towards Lewandowski.
The ball fell to Frenkie whose volley hit the post and Lewandowski fired the rebound wide form close range!
RIGHT AWAY! GUNDOGAN! DE JONG! EVERYONE!
BIG CHANCE FOR BARCELONA
Osasuna press Barça all the way back to goal and sit there, following their every move.
And we're off in Pamplona!
Barça kick us off from left to right...
How the kits look:
Osasuna are in their red - blue - red home strip; Barça are in all blue.
Sorry, aqua.
Here come the teams!
The two sides are out on the pitch and we are awaiting the green light for kick off!
Just over ten minutes to go!
The teams are finishing their warmups and are getting ready to head down the tunnel to prepare for KO!
Lluis Gene / AFP
Where is Ansu?
Where is Ansu? You may be asking...
Well, the poor lad has packed his bags and is off to Brighton.
The young winger has had his injury troubles and is looking to pick up peak form once again, this time in the Premier League with the Seagulls.
If he regains his form, he could be one of the best players in the league and will undoubtedly return to Spain ready to fight for his place in the XI.
A reminder of the starting XIs:
If you've just joined us then welcome!
Here's a reminder of the starting XIs of the two sides:
OSASUNA:
GK: Aitor Fdez
DEF: Cruz - Herrando - Catena - Areso
MID: Muñoz - Aimar Oroz - Ibáñez
ATT: Rubén García - Raúl García - Arnaiz
***
BARCELONA:
GK: Ter Stegen
DEF: Roberto - Kounde - Christensen - Balde
MID: Romeu - De Jong - Gundogan
ATT: Yamal - Lewandowski - Gavi
The two Joãos are here!
None of the Joãos are in the starting XI today, but their skillsets are perfect for breaking down a defensive team which we might see today.
Also, has anyone seen them apart from each other since they arrived? Maybe my thoery is correct...
Bruno Fahy / AFP
Osasuna's Euro dream is over...
Poor Osasuna, after a huge legal case of whether or not they were allowed into European competition despite having qualified (basically their old owners did naughty things and the new owners were set to be punished for it, despite them being the ones who called the whole thing out).
They got through to the qualifying rounds after a fantastic league campaign but they got drawn again against perhaps the toughest opponents possible at this level: Club Brugge.
They lost over two legs and unfortunately didn't make it to the group stage of the competition.
Xavi pre-game quotes:
A fantastic job has been during the transfer market. We are happy.
João Félix fits in 100%. He is a natural talent. He scores and he can make the difference. He's a versatile player who can operate anywhere in attack.
We will compete [in the UEFA Champions League]. We are focused on topping the group but it won't be easy.
Osasuna is an intense rival with the same coach for many years. They are a rugged team and strong at home. They were eliminated from the Europa Conference League, but they have a good squad, and it will be a challenge. It’s a tough away game for us.
I always have the maximum enthusiasm. I am a club man and try to adapt to circumstances. Mateu, Deco, Jordi, the president, Rafa… everyone has done a great job. We are excited about how the squad has shaped up.
Barça arrive at the stadium!
The blaugrana are already at El Sadar and have started their match day preparations for the upcoming clash.
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The LAFC defender signed for FC Barcelonaand will initially form part of their B team.
The highly-rated defender spent last season on loan at Villarreal in eastern Spain and as such, is not a complete novice when it comes to paella and patatas bravas.
On a more serious note, his spell in the league last year does mean that he comes to Barcelona with a sense of how things work in the country, and that should help him a lot when it comes to getting to know his new teammates and working his way up the ranks to hopefully play with the first team.
His breakthrough campaign came in 2021 when he made 36 appearances for the MLS side; he played 25 times in LaLiga 2 for Villarreal’s second team and just once for the senior side.
Osasuna change things up for Barça clash:
Osasuna have made a couple of changes from their last league game, given they also played midweek against Club Brugge: David García and Kike barja drop out, the latter due to injury.
Osasuna starting XI:
GK: Aitor Fdez
DEF: Cruz - Herrando - Catena - Areso
MID: Muñoz - Aimar Oroz - Ibáñez
ATT: Rubén García - Raúl García - Arnaiz
Just one change for Barcelona
It's just the left-back who has changed from Barça's 3-4 win against Villarreal last weekend, with Balde coming in for Marcos Alonso
Other than that, it's the same as we've been used to given Pedri's injury.
Barça's XI is in!
GK: Ter Stegen
DEF: Roberto - Kounde - Christensen - Balde
MID: De Jong - Gundogan - Romeu
ATT: Yamal - Lewandowski - Gavi
It can sometimes go very wrong, even for those stars with bags of ability, so how did it play out for Xavi's new recruits?
While we wait on Xavi and Jagoba to drop the teamnews, why don't you have a look atthe silky skills that the Joãos were pulling off in their joint presentation yesterday.
I don't know why, but I have the image of them doing everything together, exactly at the same time. Spooky horror film twins levels of weird.
Los Rojillos have arrived at El Sadar!
Not long to go until the team news is out.
We'll keep you updated every step of the way.
Barça release new threads for the game
Barcelona’s new light blue - sorry, ‘light aqua’ blue away kit, according to the club, “evokes inspiration and creativity, highlights what Barça represent, the history, the playing style, and the young La Masia-formed talents who are a source of inspiration for all.”
If they say so, who am I to argue? I think it looks lovely. Very David Villa in 2010-11.
Ander Gillenea / AFP
Who's the ref?
Miguel Ángel Otriz Arias is the four-named man with the whistle round his neck for today’s clash.
The 38-year-old has overseen two games so far this season: Villarreal 1-2 Betis and Real Sociedad 1-1 Celta Vigo, and has shown 7 yellow cards and 0 red cards this season as things stand.
Señor Guillermo Cuandra Fernández is the VAR referee. Let’s hope he has a quiet one and we don’t have to hear too much from him today. Quiet VAR is good VAR.
Where are Osasuna in the league?
As for Osasuna, they’re slightly below in 9th, as they have won 2 and lost one game so far this season.
A win for the home side would see them move onto 9 points and they would be up and around the European places in the early stage of the campaign.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
How the top of the table looks so far...
Barcelona are currently in 4th place on 7 points, after having won 2 and drawn 1 of their three games so far.
Of course, a win today would see them move onto 10 points, just two behind Real Madrid at the top of the tree.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Last 5 meetings between Barça and Osasuna:
The fixture has been one with positive results for Barcelona over the past few years, but El Sadar, Osasuna's home stadium, is a notoriously tricky ground to travel to and getting a result there is not an easy task.
Here are the last 5 results of the games between the two sides so you can get a feel of how things have gone over recent seasons:
02/05/23: Barça 1-0 Osasuna
08/11/22: Osasuna 1-2 Barça
13/03/22: Barça 4-0 Osasuna
12/12/22: Osasuna 2-2 Barça
06/03/21: Osasuna 0-2 Barça
Osasuna team news:
Kike Barja and Brasanac are the only two official injuries we know about at this moment, but manager Jagoba Arrasate hinted that he may make changes to his side given the fatigue and niggling injuries that have affected the squad over the past week.
What comes as a plus for Osasuna is that their talented spine of superheroes are indeed set to start: David García, Moncayola and Chimy Ávila.
Pau Barrena / AFP
OK, here's the big Barça news...
OK; there’s no point you and I looking at each other crouched on the ground, peering through the gap between two huge, white elephants.
The Joãos, Félix and Cancelo, joined Barcelona late on deadline day while everyone else was wondering what on earth happened to Ansu Fati.
The wing-back and midfielder join on loan until the end of the season.
"Everyone knows that I am happy to be here, it is a dream for me. I come to help the team and it is a unique feeling. When they told me that Barça were interested I was very happy. In the end, thanks to everyone's effort it has been possible," said Félix, who made it abundantly clear he was happy to be somewhere new.
Barcelona team news:
Well, away from the transfer talk, which we’ll get to in a mo, the main new-but-not-so-new face in the Barça squad is that of Iñigo Martínez.
The ex-Athletic Club defender joined in the summer but is yet to feature due to an injury.
He’s back and ready to go and has been called up to Xavi’s match day squad for the first time.
Pedri and Ronald Araujo are the two main absences.
Welcome!
Hello hello! Welcome along to the AS USA live coverage of the Osasuna vs Barcelona game in La Liga!
It’s Joe here today to guide you through this tough early season test for the current league champions.