Captain Raphinha propelled Barcelona to a seven-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the LaLiga standings, clinching a late 2-0 victory against Osasuna.
The Brazilian international scored twice, in the 70th and 86th minutes, to secure the win at Camp Nou, during a match where Hansi Flick’s squad dominated possession but struggled to break through the solid defense and goalkeeper Sergio Herrera
and his teammates.
Herrera showcased his skills with two outstanding saves from Lamine Yamal, but ultimately could not prevent Osasuna from recording their sixth consecutive league defeat in Catalonia without finding the back of the net.
This hard-fought victory marked Barça’s fifth straight win across all competitions since their 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, increasing their lead over Madrid, who are set to face Alaves on Sunday.
Raphinha remained focused on his team’s performance, stating, “We need to concentrate on ourselves; if we do our job, we won’t have to worry about anyone else. We’re playing better than before, and the more points we earn, the better.”
Barcelona began the match energetically, with Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford making early impacts. Despite dominating the first few minutes, they failed to penetrate Osasuna’s formidable defense.
Ante Budimir nearly caught Joan García off-guard with a snapshot in the 20th minute, but the keeper was quick to react.
Eric García narrowly missed with a powerful attempt just before the 20-minute mark, as play returned to form. The home side thought they had scored a spectacular opener soon after, but a lengthy review ruled out ‘s deft header due to Raphinha being offside during the buildup.
Barcelona continued to apply pressure, but the resilient Osasuna side held firm, with Herrera making a brilliant save from Yamal just before half-time, leaving Flick’s team frustrated at the break.
After the restart, Herrera continued his fine form with a save from a Rashford free kick, but Osasuna almost took the lead when Víctor Muñoz broke free moments later, only to shoot wide after capitalizing on a mistake by Pedri
.
Defender Iñigo Arguibide blocked another attempt from Rashford as the home side pressed once more. The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute when Raphinha received a pass from Pedri and delivered a precise shot into the bottom corner.
Yamal again faced Herrera in the 82nd minute but was thwarted, only for Raphinha to find the net shortly thereafter, tapping in a cross from Jules Kounde at the far post with just four minutes left.
This report includes information from PA and The Associated Press.