Osasuna 4-2 Barcelona – Barca hit for four in humbling loss as perfect start to Liga season ends

Ante Budimir scored a brace as Osasuna brought Barcelona’s perfect start to the Liga season to an end with a 4-2 win at Estadio El Sadar.

Goals from Budimir and Bryan Zaragoza gave the hosts a two-goal advantage at the interval before Pau Victor halved the deficit shortly after the break.

However, Budimir scored his second from the spot in the 72nd minute before Abel Bretones put the game beyond Hansi Flick’s side in the closing stages.

Lamine Yamal scored a late consolation goal but it was too little, too late for the Catalan club.

Next up for Barcelona is a UEFA Champions League match against BSC Young Boys.

It was a feisty affair with the home side taking the game to Barcelona in the early stages, after Osasuna manager Vincente Moreno said in his pre-match press conference his side would need to put in a “perfect game” to have a chance of getting points against the Liga leaders.

Barcelona had an early chance to break the deadlock after 10 minutes where Pau Victor unleashed Barca’s frontline before Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera left his box to provide a crucial clearance.

The home side took a surprising lead inside 20 minutes when forward Budimir head home Zaragoza’s cross in front of the home fans.

Zaragoza would double Osasuna’s lead 10 minutes later when he was able to beat the offside trap and round Inaki Pena in goal to slot the ball into an empty net.

Barcelona were able to find a way back into the game just after half-time when Herrera gifted the ball just after denying Robert Lewandowski. Pau Victor was able to get a shot off from distance, and surprised himself when the ball squeezed in the tiniest of gaps to find the net.

Having made a host of changes and deciding to leave Raphinha and Lamine Yamal on the bench for this fixture, Hansi Flick called the duo up to rescue Barcelona’s winning start to the season.

Another terrific stop by Herrera to deny Ferran Torres and Barcelona an equaliser before referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez pointed to the spot after Barcelona’s Sergi Dominguez collided with Budimir, who scored his second goal of the match from the spot.

The home side made it four in the 85th minute when a long-distance shot from substitute Abel Bretones beat Pena to find the bottom right corner.

Yamal scored Barcelona’s second and his fifth of the season with a powerful shot from distance beating Herrera.

Despite Barcelona’s efforts, they succumbed to their first league defeat and dropped their first points of the season, leaving Real Madrid a chance to get within striking distance when they play Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Osasuna rise to sixth after a deserved victory.

It was maybe inevitable given the injury list Flick is dealing with and whilst eyebrows might have been raised by Raphinha and Yamal missing out on a place in the starting XI for the first time this season, Flick was realistic that he needed to rotate the squad in order to survive in the long term.

Without the attacking duo, Barcelona lacked the potency that you would come to expect and Lewandowski was working on scraps. That being said, Osasuna were worthy of their victory as they put the Liga leaders on the back foot and played their way.

It could have easily been any of the players in red shirts on the evening, with notable mentions for goalkeeper Sergio Herrera who put in a heroic performance, whilst Zaragoza grabbed an assist and goal but it was the frontman who stood up to the challenge and made things hard for Barcelona’s backline.

Osasuna: Herrera 7, Areso 7, Catena 7, Boyomo 7, Cruz 7, Ibanez 7, Torro 7, Aimar Oroz 7, R.Garcia 7, Budimir 8, Zaragoza 8 Subs: Pena 7, Raul Garcia 7, Herrando 7, Bretones 8, Mirralles 7

Barcelona: Pena 6, Kounde 5, Dominguez 3, Cubarsi 4, Martin 4, Torre 6, Garcia 4, Pedri 4, Torres 5, Lewandowski 5, Victor 5 Subs: Raphinha 5, Yamal 7, Balde 5, Casado 5, Fort 5

18′ GOAL! OSASUNA 1 – 0 BARCELONA (Budimir 18′) Bryan Zaragoza puts in a great cross and Ante Budimir heads Osasuna ahead within 20 minutes. They’ve taken this match on and are playing their own game – they deserve that!

28′ GOAL! OSASUNA 2 – 0 BARCELONA (ZARAGOZA 28′) Barca are in big trouble now. Osasuna double their lead through Bryan Zaragoza as the home side steal the ball and catch Barca out, Zaragoza beats the offside trap and surprises himself when he’s able to get past Pena in goal and slot the ball into an empty net.

53′ GOAL! OSASUNA 2 – 1 BARCELONA (VICTOR 53′) It’s a disaster for Herrera. He gifts the ball to Barca just after it. Pau Victor is able to shoot from distance, and whilst he probably expected the Osasuna goalkeeper to claim that easily, it squeezes in the tiniest of gaps and give Barca a way back into the game.

71′ PENALTY FOR OSASUNA Budimir is stopped in his tracks by Dominguez and the referee points to the spot.

72′ GOAL! OSASUNA 3 – 1 BARCELONA (BUDIMIR 72′) Inaki Pena goes the right way but Budimir does enough to find the bottom corner.

85′ GOAL! OSASUNA 4 – 1 BARCELONA (BRETONES 85′) It’s FOUR for Osasuna and it comes from substitute Bretones with a long distance shot from the outside of the box beating Pena in the bottom right corner.

89′ GOAL! OSASUNA 4 – 2 BARCELONA (YAMAL 89′) It’s a great goal from the 17-year-old and they’ve really missed him tonight. The Spaniard goes it alone and takes on the shot from distance and fires it with pace on the ball past Herrera.