Barcelona have suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season against Osasuna, MySportDab reports.
The Catalan giants went into the game on top of the La Liga table with maximum 21 points from seven matches.
The perfect start to the campaign saw them open a four-point gap at the top over title-contenders Real Madrid.
Against Osasuna at Estadio El Sadar, they were favorites to win and extend the lead on top of the table but it turned out the reverse.
33-year-old Croatian striker Ante Budimir punished the visitors in the 18th minute for reckless defending. Budimir was left unmarked to head home Bayern Munich loanee Bryan Zaragoza’s whipping cross past Pena.
10 minutes after Budimir’s goal, Bryan Zaragoza was himself on the score sheet to double the lead for Osasuna. A poor midfield play by Barcelona led to the goal.
The visitors lost possession in midfield and Ibanez found Zaragoza after having the ball. The latter was through on goal and he perfectly rounded Pena to score Osasuna’s second goal within 10 minutes.
Barcelona were in trouble conceding the quickfire goals in a dramatic fashion. All attempts to mount a comeback before the break failed.
The second half was the most dramatic. Barcelona fought back to halve the deficit a few minutes into the second half. Spanish sensation Pau Victor punished the hosts after they lost the ball in their half, helping nail home the lifeline goal for Barca.
However, Barcelona’s comeback hopes were dealt a further blow when they conceded a penalty following Dominguez’s wild tackle on Budimir. Budimir converted the spot-kick to re-extend the lead for the hosts with barely 20 minutes left on the clock.
Five minutes before regulation time, 24-year-old Spanish midfielder Abel Bretones dealt a final blow to Barcelona’s comeback hopes. The 77th-minute substitute scored a stunning strike to make it 4-1 for the Catalans.
A minute before regulation time, Lamine Yamal scored a consolation goal for the Catalans to reduce the deficit and leave the scoreline more respectable.
The game ended with Barcelona losing 4-2 and recording their first La Liga defeat of the season. They are still four-point clear on top of the table but could the point-margin could be reduced to one should Real Madrid win away from home against bitter domestic and city rivals Atletico Madrid today.
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