Barcelona 1-2 Osasuna: 5 Hits and Flops as Blaugrana suffer calamitous defeat at the Camp Nou | La Liga 2019-20

Osasuna compounded Barcelona's misery
Osasuna compounded Barcelona's misery

Barcelona suffered a shock 1-2 defeat at the hands of Osasuna tonight at the Nou Camp, a result which ended their title hopes. Real Madrid, on the other hand, claimed their 34th La Liga title with a 2-0 win over Villarreal.

Quique Setien made four changes to his side from their previous fixture. Luis Suarez was once again on the bench, as Martin Braithwaite and Ansu Fati joined Lionel Messi in up front.

As expected, the Blaugrana dominated possession right from the get-go, but it was the visitors who had the first crack at the goal. Jose Arnaiz unleashed a fierce strike from the edge of the box, only to be palmed away by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in the sixth minute.

Los Rojillos got the lead in the 15th minute, as left-back Pervis Estupiñán sent in a dangerous cross into the box which was turned into the back of the net by Arnaiz.

Lionel Messi rattled the crossbar in the 23rd minute with his curling free-kick as the home side threatened to hit back immediately. It took the Barca captain three more efforts from a free-kick to finally score the leveller, as he curled in a beautiful effort in the 62nd minute.

Despite being down to 10 men in the 77th minute following a red card to substitute Enric Gallego, Osasuna held on to score a late winner. Roberto Torres got the ball into the back of the net in the fourth minute of injury time to condemn Barcelona to an unlikely home defeat.

As Barcelona suffered their first loss since the resumption of La Liga, here are the hits and flops from the game.


#5 Hit - Pervis Estupiñán

Pervis Estupiñán provided the assist for Osasuna's goal.
Pervis Estupiñán provided the assist for Osasuna's goal.

On-loan defender Pervis Estupiñán produced an excellent display for Osasuna, as he bagged his sixth assist of the campaign and kept the in-form Nelson Semedo at bay.

The 22-year-old made darting runs into Barcelona's half and laid on a series of pinpoint passes to his teammates, including the cross that led to Jose Arnaiz's goal in the 15th minute.

Despite his age, he capped off a mature display and did not overcommit while going forward.


#4 Flop - Enric Gallego

Enric Gallego was sent off for Osasuna
Enric Gallego was sent off for Osasuna

The striker was largely ineffective, as he only spent six minutes on the field and had just a single touch of the ball. He committed a deliberate foul on Clement Lenglet and was booked for his actions. However, he received a straight red card upon consultation of the VAR, as Osasuna were reduced to ten men with 13 minutes to play.

His carelessness pushed the away side on the back foot, as Barcelona piled on the pressure to make the numerical advantage count. Fortunately, their five-man defence held their line and thwarted Barca's attempts, while they also managed to score a decisive goal on the counter.


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#3 Flop - Martin Braithwaite

Martin Braithwaite has not scored in over a month for Barcelona.
Martin Braithwaite has not scored in over a month for Barcelona.

Martin Braithwaite started for the first time in seven games tonight and had a forgettable shift in the final third, as he failed to add to Barcelona's attack going forward.

He got dispossessed often and most importantly, failed to link well with Messi, who was forced to pass to Sergi Roberto or back to Semedo instead. Braithwaite's first touch and movement off the ball was also very poor.


#2 Hit - Jose Arnaiz

Jose Arnaiz constantly tested the Barcelona defence with his pace and intelligent movement
Jose Arnaiz constantly tested the Barcelona defence with his pace and intelligent movement

The former Barcelona player came back to haunt his former club as he broke the deadlock in the fixture with a fine finish to beat Ter Stegen at his near post.

Arnaiz proved to be a nuisance for Barcelona defenders throughout the game until he was substituted in the 71st minute. The Spaniard even forced the Barcelona goalkeeper into action early on when he struck a powerful shot.

He was full of energy in the final third and was willing to make the runs to meet the passes. The 25-year-old almost teed up his teammate Moncayola in the 22nd minute for the second goal, but the attacking midfielder's curling effort went just wide of the post.


#1 Hit - Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was once again the only bright spark for Barcelona
Lionel Messi was once again the only bright spark for Barcelona

Lionel Messi continued his fine form with Barcelona as he scored his 23rd goal of the season to pull the hosts back in the game, only for them to concede in injury time.

Barcelona only looked dangerous when the 33-year-old had the ball at his feet, as he always found the perfect pass for his teammates despite being heavily marked. In the first-half, he stayed out of the box and got involved more in the buildup, letting Braithwaite and Fati move into dangerous positions.

With a well-organised Osasuna defence, it was very difficult for the Blaugrana to create opportunities from open play. Even the ones they had were wasted because of their lack of decisiveness in front of the goal.

Thus, Messi had to try his luck from free-kicks and after three failed attempts, he produced yet another moment of magic for the equaliser.

As has been the case for the majority of the campaign, he lacked support in the final third and was tasked with single-handedly creating chances for his side.

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