FC Barcelona win in Pamplona with a man down to remain top of the league.
Barcelona opened up a 5 point lead at the top of La Liga after completing a comeback late against Osasuna in El Sadar.
Osasuna opened the scoring early in the first half from a corner that came after an error from Sergio Busquets, despite complaints from Barcelona that Marcos Alonso was fouled in the build-up, the goal stood and Xavi’s men found themselves trailing after 6 minutes.
Sending Off
It didn’t get any better in the first half for the Catalan club as star striker Robert Lewandowski was then sent off for a second yellow and made a potentially dangerous gesture, which could potentially see him banned.
It didn’t end there as the tempers were gone at that point, and Gerard Pique came onto the pitch, from the bench, to complain to referee Jesus Gil Manzano. An encounter that saw his beautiful career end in a sending off.
Fighting Back
Despite being a man down, things improved in the second half and Pedri equalised just three minutes into the second half.
The loose ball after Alba tried finding Ferran in the box found it’s way to the Canary Midfielder who despatched to the bottom corner.
However the goal of the match and perhaps the moment of the match was from Raphinha, following a brilliant pass from Frenkie de Jong
Dutch Midfielder, Frenkie de Jong who was being played as a central back late on in the game floated the ball towards substitute Raphinha who opted for a first-time header that rose right over Osasuna keeper Aitor Fernández's head and flopped straight down between the sticks. A little piece of Brazilian magic and that was an absolutely critical three points in the bag.
Barcelona will now go into the World Cup break as league leaders and will resume their campaign on the 31st of December at home to Espanyol.