Osasuna 1-2 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points as Barca leave it late to down 10-man hosts | La Liga 2023-24

Barcelona endured a late scare to run out 2-1 victors over Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday, September 3.

Osasuna arrived for this contest on the back of two wins and a defeat in their opening games of the season. Their last league outing was a 2-1 stoppage-time win against Valencia away from home. Knowing it would be a tough game, manager Jagoba Arrasate fielded a strong lineup.

Barca, on the other hand, won two and drew one of their three games. Their last game was a back-and-forth thriller against Villarreal which they edged 4-3 after coming back from 3-2 down. Xavi Hernandez named a strong lineup for this game as they looked to keep pace with Real Madrid.

The first half saw visitors Barcelona dominate the ball for most of the period, with Osasuna getting time on the ball here and there. Despite this dominance, they managed just three shots on target from eight total attempts.

The visitors left it until very late in the first period to open the scoring. Jules Kounde converted from an assist by Ilkay Gundogan as the defending champions led 1-0 at the break.

The second half was much more of a dull affair than the first as both teams managed one shot on target apiece, and scored from those.

First up was Chimy Avila after he was provided an assist by Jesus Aruso to draw Osasuna level with Barca. With just 10 minutes left to play, the hosts had their tails up. However, they suffered catastrophe close to the full-time whistle as Alejandro Catena was shown a straight red and a penalty was awarded.

Robert Lewandowski stepped up and made no mistake as he scored to make it 2-1. Barcelona held on to secure all three points and on that note, let's take at the five major talking points.

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#5. Barcelona dominated the first half in nearly every stat and got their reward

With 73% possession in the first period, Barcelona dominated and looked likelier to get on the scoresheet. However, they lacked decisiveness in the final third and an out-of-form Lewandowski did not help the cause either.

They played well for nearly the entire half and got on the scoresheet just before the interval.

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#4. Osasuna played well with limited possession

Having kept the ball for just 27% in the first and 33% in the second half, the hosts had very little to play with as they looked to pull off the improbable. They hit the target twice in the first period but were unable to score, while they grabbed a goal with the only shot on target in the second period.

The hosts also defended well and played with togetherness to prevent Barcelona from hitting rhythm and running riot.

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#3. Both Xavi and Arrasate made multiple alterations to their teams

As the second half progressed towards the business end, both managers were eager to play a part in their team's eventual result. They both made several changes as they looked to inject extra energy into their teams.

While this did not directly benefit anyway, the game became more open as players with fresh legs took over and spread the field.

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#2. Osasuna score the equalizer in stunning fashion

Having not managed a single shot on target in the second half leading up to the goal, the hosts were desperate to get back into the game. They pushed forward and tried to go toe-to-toe with Barcelona after several alterations. This allowed them to find an equalizer out of virtually nothing.

Jesus Areso played a pass to substitute Chimy Avila, who scored with a lovely curling effort as his shot bounced off the post and into the goal.

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#1. Late red card gives Barcelona the advantage and the win

Center-back Alejandro Catena was shown a straight red card late in the game for a professional last-man foul on Lewandowski. With just under five minutes left in the game, the Pole stepped up to take the spot-kick and converted it to send the traveling fans into raptures.

However, there were several claims that Lewandowski dived to gain an unfair advantage, with pundits and fans suggesting Barcelona are still favored by the referees. The fact that Osasuna had a player sent off made it even worse.