Barcelona beat Osasuna with a late Rafinha double
Barcelona beat Osasuna 2-0 on Saturday night at Spotify Camp Nou in round 15 of La Liga, extending their lead at the top of the table. Brazilian winger Rafinha proved decisive, scoring both goals in the final 20 minutes to hand the Blaugrana a deserved victory.
The result lifts Barcelona to 43 points, temporarily moving them seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who face Deportivo Alavés on Sunday. Osasuna, meanwhile, remain in 16th place on 15 points and continue to hover dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Early pressure and balanced chances
Barcelona began the match with clear attacking intent. Ferran Torres came close to opening the scoring inside three minutes after latching onto a through ball from Alejandro Balde, only for defender Irando to intervene at the last moment.
Marcus Rashford appealed for a penalty in the eighth minute following a collision with Arigbedi, but both the referee and VAR waved play on. Osasuna responded with a pair of dangerous moments through Ante Budimir in the ninth and 16th minutes, forcing goalkeeper Juan García into two confident saves.
Lamine Yamal caused consistent problems down the flank, and Ferran Torres narrowly missed the target in the 14th minute after receiving a precise pass from the teenage winger.
VAR denies Barcelona as dominance grows
Osasuna relied heavily on counter-attacks, with Pedri and Eric García required to intervene defensively during a dangerous break in the 39th minute. Barcelona thought they had taken the lead in the 25th minute when Ferran Torres found the net, but VAR ruled the goal out for offside against Rafinha earlier in the move.
The hosts maintained control, testing Osasuna through long-range efforts from Pedri, Eric García, and Rafinha. Lamine Yamal came closest, forcing goalkeeper Sergio Herrera into two excellent saves with curling efforts from distance. Despite their dominance, Barcelona went into halftime still level.
Second-half intensity and missed chances
Barcelona increased the tempo after the break. Rashford won a dangerous free kick on the edge of the area in the 47th minute, and Herrera was quickly called into action again to deny the English forward from close range.
Osasuna nearly stunned the home crowd in the 49th minute when Víctor Muñoz capitalized on a poor touch from Pedri, but his effort drifted wide. Rashford then missed a clear chance moments later after being set up by Jules Koundé.
Relentless pressure breaks Osasuna’s resistance
The Catalans laid siege to the Osasuna goal. Catena made a crucial block to deny Ferran Torres from close range, before Herrera reacted superbly to keep out a dangerous cross-shot from Pedri. Set pieces and long-range attempts followed, but Osasuna’s resistance held firm—for a while.
Rafinha delivers the breakthrough
Barcelona’s persistence finally paid off in the 70th minute. After a clever individual move by Pedri, Rafinha surged forward and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the area. A slight deflection off Herando wrong-footed the goalkeeper, and the ball found the net to give Barça the lead.
Rafinha sealed the win in the 86th minute. Koundé’s cross from the right was poorly cleared by Catena, allowing the Brazilian to react quickest and tap home his second goal of the night, confirming all three points for the league leaders.
What it means
Barcelona beat Osasuna to strengthen their position at the summit of La Liga, sending a clear message to their title rivals. With momentum on their side and key players delivering in decisive moments, the Blaugrana continue to look increasingly difficult to stop.
