Raphinha brace pushes Barca seven clear of Madrid
Raphinha struck twice late in the second half as Barcelona secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over a resolute Osasuna side, extending its lead at the top of the LaLiga standings to seven points.
Hansi Flick’s men now sit on 43 points, comfortably clear of second-placed Real Madrid, which has a game in hand and is set to play at Alaves on Monday (AEDT).
Barcelona dominated from the outset, enjoying 80 per cent possession and firing 24 shots compared to just three from Osasuna.
However, the visitors' disciplined five-man defensive backline, combined with several outstanding saves from goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, frustrated the home side for much of the match.
The Catalan side thought it had broken the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Ferran Torres nodded home a looping header from Marcus Rashford’s cross after a short corner routine.
However, a lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled the goal out for a marginal offside in the build-up.
The best chance of the first half came in the 40th minute, as teenager Lamine Yamal darted down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint cross to Torres. The striker unleashed an audacious overhead kick but sent the ball wide of the far post.
Osasuna’s resilient back five held firm as Barcelona swarmed forward in the second half, with Rashford testing Herrera’s acrobatics from a free kick early after the interval.
Yamal remained a constant menace down the right, tirelessly driving at defenders, but the visitors absorbed wave after wave of pressure.
Barcelona finally broke down Osasuna’s deep defensive block in the 70th minute when Pedri’s incisive pass cut through the visitors’ defence, finding Raphinha in his stride.
The Brazil forward took a controlled touch before unleashing a thunderous strike from the edge of the area, the ball arrowing inside the left post.
Raphinha sealed the win in the 86th minute. A deflected cross from Jules Kounde on the right found the Brazilian unmarked at the far post, and he calmly volleyed the ball into an empty net, giving the scoreline a more comfortable look.
"It's very commendable [what Osasuna did] because they were very compact and we struggled to break them down," Barca defender Gerard Martin said after the win.
"But with patience and a lot of ball possession, we know that goals always come and we finally found them."
