Raphinha celebrated his 29th birthday in style on Friday night, scoring twice in the second half to lead Barcelona to a 2–0 victory over a resilient Osasuna side. The win extended Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga to seven points.
Despite dominating the opening stages, Barcelona found goals hard to come by. The hosts registered 21 shots compared with Osasuna’s three, but clear chances were scarce and frustration grew as the deadlock remained unbroken.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 70th minute, when Raphinha struck a precise low shot into the corner from the edge of the penalty area. Sixteen minutes later, the Brazilian doubled his tally, tapping in at the back post after a deflected cross fell kindly into his path to seal the win.
Earlier, Ferran Torres thought he had given Barcelona the lead in the 23rd minute after heading home while beating the offside trap. However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, which showed Raphinha had been offside in the build-up. Torres later went close again, meeting a cross from Lamine Yamal, but his first-time effort flew over the crossbar.
Although Osasuna spent much of the match defending deep, they posed occasional threats on the counter-attack. Early in the second half, Victor Munoz broke past Alejandro Balde and fired a shot that went wide of the target.
Barcelona eventually took control with 20 minutes remaining. Pedri carried the ball forward from midfield before finding Raphinha, who capitalised to score the opener. The second goal late on ensured there would be no way back for Osasuna.
Seven weeks ago, Barcelona trailed Real Madrid by five points after defeat in El Clásico. Following a run of seven consecutive league victories, they now sit seven points clear at the summit. That gap could be reduced to four points if Real Madrid defeat Alavés on Sunday night.
