FC Barcelona 3-0 Osasuna: A thrashing with a taste of revenge and a golden leadership!

FC Barcelona is the sole leader of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25. The azulgrana team returned to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys to face Osasuna in matchday 27 of the competition, postponed for exceptional reasons. In a new display of strength and good football, the Catalans achieved a victory with a championship flavor (3-0), as this win allows them to pull ahead at the top of the standings (60), surpassing Real Madrid (60) and Atlético de Madrid (56).

The team led by Hansi Flick dominated the match from the very first second, and in the 11th minute, they took the lead with a stunning goal from Ferran Torres. Ten minutes later, in the 21st minute, Dani Olmo increased the advantage for the Catalans from the penalty spot. Finally, in the 77th minute, Robert Lewandowski sealed a victory that was more than certain for the azulgrana team, who are now one step closer to their 28th LaLiga title.

An overwhelming first half from Barça

There was only one team on the pitch at Montjuïc. Osasuna was no match for a Barça that imposed its will from the referee's initial whistle, cornering the rojillos in their own half and not giving them a single opportunity in their few attempts at attack.

Thus, in the 11th minute, the leader struck first. After a spectacular combination from the Catalans, Frenkie de Jong filtered a pass down the wing for Alejandro Balde, who delivered a low and precise cross for Ferran Torres, who, with the instincts of a 'shark', opened the scoring. This goal confirms his best scoring season in the Catalan capital, as the '7' has 8 goals in LaLiga and 14 in all competitions.

From here, the match broke definitively in favor of the hosts. In fact, just two minutes after his first goal, the Valencia forward came close to a double after Lamine Yamal sent a brutal lofted through ball to leave him one-on-one with Sergio Herrera. However, the rojillo goalkeeper made a great save to deny the shot from the player from Foios.

Nevertheless, the azulgranas would extend their lead in the 21st minute. Dani Olmo was brought down inside the area by a tackle from the Navarrese goalkeeper, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Herrera managed to save the first attempt from the spot taken by the Egarense, but the VAR indicated to the referee that it should be retaken due to an invasion in the area by Moncayola.

The second time was the charm for the '20', who shot the penalty to the same left side. Despite this, it wasn't all good news for the player from Terrassa, who was forced to leave the pitch in the 25th minute due to muscle discomfort.

The Barça ‘smelled blood’ and relentlessly sought the third goal of the night, but attempts from Ferran and Lamine failed to find the net. Torres, in fact, came very close to celebrating his second goal of the night with a free kick from the edge of the area, but the shot hit the crossbar. Thus, both teams headed to the locker rooms with the feeling that there was no scenario in which the blaugranas would leave their stadium without the three points in their pocket.

Dani Olmo left the match injured

FC Barcelona was completing a perfect first half against Osasuna until Dani Olmo's injury in the 25th minute. The midfielder had scored, from a penalty, the 2-0 in the 21st minute and his seventh in LaLiga, after the retake of a shot that had previously been saved by Sergio Herrera, but the invasion by Moncayola prompted the VAR intervention. Four minutes later, a pull in his right thigh forced the player from Terrassa to request medical assistance.

Dani lay on the grass and, when he got up with difficulty, Hansi Flick did not hesitate to call up Fermín López to replace the 20. The 26-year-old player had just played 108 minutes with Spain in the quarterfinals of the Nations League against the Netherlands and, unfortunately, suffered his third muscle injury of the season this Thursday. Initially, it could be a strain, but the midfielder is very unlikely to be available next Sunday against Girona.

Barça got their revenge against Osasuna

Upon returning from the break, both teams lowered their intensity given the tight schedule and the evident superiority of the hosts over the Navarrese. However, Osasuna came close to scoring a consolation goal on a couple of occasions with a header from Rubén García that went just wide and another shot from Moi Gómez that was saved by Eric García with a crucial stop.

After these couple of scares, Barça defended with the ball at their feet and gave no respite to Vicente Moreno's side, who were brutally and completely dominated by the Catalans. In the 71st minute, in fact, the Catalans could have had their second penalty of the night for a push from Areso on Pablo Torre, but the referee deemed it not punishable even though the foul seemed sanctionable.

The blaugranas, aware of their overwhelming superiority on the field and with their eyes set on the upcoming matches, managed their efforts and seemed to put cold cloths on the game. However, Robert Lewandowski came off the bench and made it clear that not everything was decided, as in the 77th minute he sent a lethal header into the back of Herrera's net after a spectacular counterattack led by Fermín López, sealing the Catalans' revenge, who manage to pull ahead at the top of the LaLiga standings.

Barça is the sole leader of LaLiga

Before Thursday's match, Barcelona shared the lead of LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25 with Real Madrid, both on 60 points. Atlético de Madrid, on the other hand, was four points behind (56) after the defeat suffered against the Catalans in the last match before the international break. Therefore, the blaugranas sought a victory that would allow them to pull ahead again at the top of the table.

The team led by Hansi Flick (63) once again knew how to capitalize on their excellent form and took the solo lead in the competition. The team is going through a sweet moment and has been on a remarkable run of results since the start of the year, remaining unbeaten and accumulating 25 points out of 27 with 8 victories and 1 draw, surpassing the rojiblancos (56) and the madridistas (60) in the standings.

In this way, Barça strikes again and remains firm on the 'throne' of the local competition. The azulgranas are 'unstoppable' this 2025 and, in addition to not knowing defeat, it seems that, as of today, there is no rival that can stop them, as was demonstrated this Thursday in Montjuïc, where they took a key step towards their twenty-eighth title of LaLiga. 

Match technical sheet:    

• FC Barcelona, 3: Szczesny (P); Koundé, Eric García, Íñigo Martínez, Balde (Martín, min. 83); Frenkie de Jong (Pablo Torre, min. 46), Pedri (Pau Víctor, min. 84), Gavi; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo (López, min. 28), Ferran Torres (Lewandowski, min. 68).
• Real Sociedad, 0: Sergio Herrera (P); Areso (Peña, min. 84), Catena, Herrando, Juan Cruz; Moncayola, Iker Muñoz (García, min. 34), Pablo Ibáñez; Arnaiz (Boyomo, min. 46), Raúl García (Budimir, min. 60) and Aimar Oroz (Gómez, min. 61).
• Goals: 1-0 Ferran Torres (min. 11); 2-0 Dani Olmo (min. 21, P); 3-0 Robert Lewandowski (min. 77).
• Referee: Busquets Ferrer. Cautioned the azulgrana Eric García and the rojillos Cruz and Catena.