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Barcelona scraped to a narrow 1-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga on Wednesday, January 31, after two consecutive defeats in all competitions.
Victor Roque scored the only goal of the game in the 63rd minute, heading in a cross from Joao Cancelo for his first league goal with the side.
Contrary to the scoreline, Osasuna started the match brightly, pressing high and pushing their mighty hosts on the back foot.
However, the tides turned soon after, with the Blaugrana wrestling back control of the game by upping their tempo and getting in shape.
Nonetheless, it wasn't until the 63rd minute that Xavi's band of busted flushes found a breakthrough. Frenkie de Jong cut the ball to Joao Cancelo on the right, and Cancelo then sent a cheeky outside-of-the-boot cross for Roque to head in from point-blank range.
Barcelona returned to winning ways following a harrowing 4-2 cup loss to Athletic Bilbao and a stunning 5-3 home defeat to Villarreal in the league, but it wasn't the most convincing performance.
With 47 points from 22 games, the reigning Spanish champions are in fourth, eight behind leaders Girona.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Victor Roque (Barcelona)
Victor Roque bagged his first goal for Barcelona and it happened to be a match-winner. Now that's some way to open your account! Roque came off the bench after the hour mark, replacing Fermin Lopez, and made an instant impact.
Frenkie de Jong laid the ball on the left for Joao Cancelo, who sent in a lovely cross for Roque to head home. He was lively throughout, getting into good attacking positions and looking to make something happen.
The 18-year-old can grow into an important figure for the side.
Flop: Unai Garcia (Osasuna)
With three interceptions and one block, Unai Garcia certainly gave Barcelona's attackers plenty to think about, but he was also sloppy off the ball and eclipsed all his good work by getting himself sent off in the second half.
The Osasuna skipper first went into the books after 16 minutes into the kick-off for bundling over Robert Lewandowski. He received a second caution after the hour mark for a similar foul on Roque, prompting the referee to pull out a red card.
Los Rojillos were left to play with 10 men for nearly 30 minutes.
Hit: Joao Cancelo (Barcelona)
It was a night of redemption for Joao Cancelo. Following a disastrous performance against Villareal on Saturday, wherein he made a glaring error leading to a goal and later admitted to playing one of his worst matches, the Portuguese appeared to have recaptured his mojo.
A force of nature in defense, Cancelo guarded the right flank with great aplomb, making one clearance and three interceptions. He equally made his presence felt in the attacking half with buccaneering runs into Osasuna's box and propping up inviting crosses.
The former Manchester City star's highlight was obviously the assist he bagged for Roque's goal. As Frenki de Jong cut it across the field for him, Cancelo took the ball in his stride and laid a nice cross for Roque to head beyond Aitor Fernandez.
Flop: Ante Budimir (Osasuna)
So often the goalscoring talisman for Osasuna, Ante Budimir cut a forlorn figure in Barcelona last night. The Croatian was devoid of service but didn't contribute much off the ball either, appearing ineffective in both phases.
In the 38th minute, Budimir, who scored his 50th goal in La Liga on Sunday, had a great chance to bag another one, as a corner kick fell to him while the Croat was unmarked inside the box. However, he was caught off guard and couldn't direct his effort at goal, wasting a glorious chance to score and put his team in front.
Hit: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Barcelona's teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal has been revelatory this season, and he continued his fine run of form with another telling performance. He was the biggest threat coming from the home side and bagging a goal or two would've been a perfect icing on the cake.
Graceful in possession and purposeful with runs, Lamal sought to find gaps in Osasuna's defense. He sent in a few inviting crosses and fought hard to regain possession, winning six ground duels.
