Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the 2024/25 La Liga campaign after falling to a 4-2 loss against Osasuna.
The Catalan giants saw a tough night in Pamplona as they struggled to create chances and put a stop to the hosts’ attacking advances. Injuries and issues with the team selection troubled Barca as they were forced to bid farewell to their perfect start to the season.
How the game unfolded
Osasuna were the stronger side from the offset, charging through Barca’s midfield while the visitors struggled to keep up. Jesus Areso made a strong run before firing a shot towards the box, his efforts went just wide, but it marked the first of many chances for the hosts.
Minutes later, Osasuna were awarded for their efforts. Ante Budimir was the first to find the back of the net after charging onto a cross from Bryan Zaragoza. His header flew past Inaki Pena – stepping up to replace the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegan – and put Osasuna firmly ahead.
Continuing to assert their dominance in the game, Osasuna doubled their lead 10 minutes later. This time, Zaragoza swapped his assist for a goal of his own as he made light work of slotting the ball into an empty net. His skilful movements rounded Pena, who moved into a wasteful position to gift Zaragoza a chance.
Osasuna clung onto their 2-0 lead heading into the first half, casting doubt over a once unstoppable Barca side.
When play resumed, Barca remained unchanged heading onto the pitch, desperate to claw back a result. Pau Victor was the game changer in the 53rd minute, capitalising on poor defending from goalkeeper Sergio Herrera to bring Barca back into the game.
The next goal, however, came once again for the hosts, as Budimir stepped up to take a penalty after a lunging tackle from Sergi Dominguez. He regained his composure after the foul and buried the ball into the bottom corner of the net, making it 3-1.
Refusing to settle for three, Osasuna wrapped up the game after former Real Oviedo star Abel Bretones fired a stunning strike past Pena, marking his first La Liga goal.
Minutes after allowing Bretones to steal possession, teenage wonderkid Lamine Yamal made up for his carelessness by curling a magnificent effort past Herrera, who’s outstretched arm was unable to stop the 17-year-old.
His late strike wasn’t enough, as Barca were forced to settle for a 4-2 defeat.
GK: Inaki Pena – 5.5/10 – Made some careless mistakes and allowed Zaragoza to drag him out of his positioning ahead of Osasuna’s second goal. Stepped up in place of Ter Stegan but needs work if he is to replace the shot stopper full-time.
RB: Jules Kounde – 6/10 – Worked hard offensively yet again, offering strong tackles and clever interceptions. Defensively Kounde seemed to struggle, but had little support from his teammates.
CB: Sergi Dominguez – 3/10 – A very poor performance from Dominguez who handed the hosts another chance to score after a lunging into a tackle on Budimir and giving Osasuna a penalty.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 5/10 – It was far from a convincing performance for Cubarsi, but the youngster symbolised one of the better characters in Barca’s defence.
LB: Gerard Martin – 4/10 – Martin was unable to offer anything for Barca against Osasuna – neither defensively nor offensively. He was simply not good enough.
DM: Eric Garcia – 5/10 – Garcia recorded a better performance than usual, but the decisions he made still proved to be costly for Barca.
DM: Pedri – 5/10 – Midfielder looked exhausted and had little effect on Barca’s build-up play. For a player that is usually so involved in his side’s attack, Pedri seemed anonymous.
RW: Ferran Torres – 6/10 – Torres was lively but lacked in end product. He must improve and be more clinical if he is to offer attacking flair to this Barca side.
AM: Pablo Torre – 5/10 – Torre created zero chances statistically, he struggled to get into the game and lacked creativity. Another player who was simply not good enough.
LW: Pau Victor – 7/10 – Victor stood out amongst this uninspiring Barca squad. He was direct, technical and delivered a stunning goal to throw his side back into the game.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 6/10 – No goals scored for the usual prolific striker, Lewandowski was silenced and had very little chance on the ball. He was removed from the pitch – a strange decision from Flick.
Substitutes
SUB: Lamine Yamal (59′ for Victor) – 7/10
SUB: Raphinha (59′ for Torre) – 6/10
SUB: Alex Balde (70′ for Martin) – 6/10
SUB: Marc Casado (70′ for Lewandowski) – 6/10
SUB: Hector Fort (85′ for Dominguez) – N/A
Subs not used: Guillermo Fernandez, Ander Astralaga, Aron Yaakobishvili, Andreas Cuenca, Inigo Martinez, Ansu Fati, Antonio Fernandez
Manager
Hansi Flick – 4/10 – Flick suffered his first Barca defeat and didn’t seem to know how to handle it. He tried to make substitutions when he realised the squad wasn’t working, but made the strange choice to remove Lewandowski when the team searched for a goal.
Player of the match: Pau Victor (Barcelona)
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