After securing a place in the Copa del Rey final against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Athletic-Club-c38535, Barcelona return their attention to Spanish top flight football.
Spanish champions, Barcelona, travelled to Pamplona as they looked to bridge the gap between current La Liga leaders and fierce rivals, Real Madrid. La Blaugrana welcomeed back World Cup winner, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pedro-c29582 Rodriguez, back into the first team squad after serving
time on the sideline.
Spanish internationals, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez failed to make the starting eleven and started the match on the substitutes bench.
Fellow La Masia graduate and La Roja teammate, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Sergio-Busquets-c33048, did not travel with the European champions as he continues to recuperate from the injury he suffered in Barcelona’s last La Liga match against Real Sociedad.
On the other hand, Osasuna manager, Jose Luis Mendilibar, could call upon the services of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Calleja-c18036 and Alvara Cejudo. The duo returns for the match at Reyno de Navarra after recovering from niggling injuries over the course of week.
However, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Masoud-Shojaei-c24565 and k**e Sola worked on the sidelines for the Pamplona-based club as they failed in their race against time to be available for the match.
Referee Jose Luis Paradas Romero started the proceedings of the match, with Osasuna and Barcelona desperate for the three points on offer.
On a chilly night in Pamplona, it was the Navarre-based club who threatened the score-board with three minutes on the board. Serbian international, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dejan-Lekic-c10777, got to the end of a thoughtful ball from Raul Garcia. However, the Serb found a waiting Victor
Valdes in the penalty area.
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Raul-c30652 Garcia was in the middle of the move again, as he received the ball on the edge of the box and coolly flicked it for a rushing Lekic.
The towering centre-forward confidently swept past a hapless Valdes to make it 1-0 for Osasuna.
After going one down a goal, Pep Guardiola’s men started to find their feet with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thiago-c34888 Alcantara acting as the protagonist in the absence of his older compatriots, Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.
Despite their dominant possession, it was Osasuna who scored against the run of play with the clock striking 22 minutes. Lekic scored his second of the game as he got on to a thoughtful cross from Alvara Cejudo. The Serbian scored his third goal against
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 in 2012.
Ballon d’Or winner, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296, could have halved the deficit five minutes after Osasuna’s second; however, the the goalkeeper easily grabbed the tame shot.
The score remained the same as Jose Luis Paradas Romero blew for the interval. Osasuna looked comfortable in their lead while Barcelona lacked dire inspiration to turn the tie in their favour.
La Blaugrana have scored 14 goals in their past three meetings with Osasuna in the current campaign and scoring in the second half might get them something out of this match.
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