Barcelona Held To A Draw At Osasuna
Barcelona were unable to bounce back from their home defeat to Real Betis last weekend and their Champions League elimination against Bayern Munich during the week, as they drew 2-2 with Osasuna on Sunday afternoon at El Sadar.
Nico Gonzalez opened the scoring for Xavi Hernandez’s side in the 11th minute with what was his first goal for the club. A perfectly timed run saw him put the ball past Sergio Herrera in the Osasuna goal.
This lead didn’t last long, however, with the home side replying just two minutes later as David Garcia lept highest from a freekick to nod his side back level, with Barcelona’s defending very poor from the set piece.
Barcelona went into the break not having performed to their best and needed something extra in the second half.
There were no changes at half time and the second period started perfectly for Xavi’s men when Abde Ezzalzouli launched one past Herrera, which put his side ahead again after an anxious wait for a VAR check.
The three points looked like they were all but in the bag for Barcelona going into the final stages, but Osasuna’s Chimy Avila produced a moment of magic with a brilliant first-time shot from the edge of the box, which flew past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in goal on 86 minutes.
The away side were on the front foot in the closing stages but rushed their attacking play too often and couldn’t find a winner.
This draw means Barcelona have dropped five points in their last two matches and currently sit in eight position, 15 points off leaders Real Madrid, who take on Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening.
