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Barcelona secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Osasuna at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in LaLiga on Thursday, March 27.
As a result, Barca move to 63 points from 28 games and are three points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid in second place. The visitors remain 14th with 33 points from the same number of games.
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Barcelona made a commanding start to the contest as they looked to assert their dominance on the contest right from the early stages. Alejandro Balde provided the assist for the team's early opening goal scored after just 11 minutes. Ferran Torres applied the finishing touches to get on the scoresheet. With 75% possession in the first period, the hosts had Osasuna completely pinned down.
They made the most of this situation as Dani Olmo earned a penalty after 20 minutes after being brought down in the box and stepped up to score from the spot. Shortly after, the player was subbed off with an injury. However, this did not affect the hosts' momentum much as they continued to dominate and pushed forward in numbers.
However, they could not extend their lead before the break and led Osasuna by two goals at half-time.
The second half was almost identical to the first in terms of possession for Barcelona as they continued to keep the ball for prolonged periods. Manager Hansi Flick also made substitutions at regular intervals to ensure proper rotation of his squad, and to make sure everyone in the first team gets adequate minutes. He brought on Robert Lewandowski shortly after the hour-mark as well.
The Pole ended up scoring just nine minutes after coming onto the pitch to put Barcelona 3-0 up and out of Osasuna's sights for good. Fermin Lopez provided the assist for the goal as the hosts seemed to have put the result in the bag with plenty of time still left to play. The hosts attempted a total of 10 shots in the second period, with four of those on target. However, their margin of victory remained three goals.
On that note, here are Barca's player ratings from their win against Osasuna.
Barcelona Player Ratings
Wojciech Szczesny - 6.5/10
Szczesny had an easy game between the sticks for Barcelona and earned a clean sheet without having to make a single save in 90 minutes.
Jules Kounde - 7.5/10
Kounde was solid in defense on the right flank for the hosts as he won seven of his nine duels, making three clearances and two tackles. He also played one key pass.
Eric Garcia - 7/10
Garcia had a good game in defense as well, winning four duels and making six clearances, one block and one tackle. He was also booked for a foul.
Inigo Martinez - 7/10
Martinez lost both his ground duels but won four of his five aerial duels in a mixed performance. He made two clearances as well.
Alejandro Balde - 7.5/10
Balde provided the assist for Barcelona's opening goal early in the contest. He also won four duels and played two other key passes.
Dani Olmo - 7.5/10
Olmo earned and converted a penalty for Barcelona before being forced off the pitch with an injury midway through the first half.
Frenkie de Jong - 7/10
De Jong passed the ball with 94% accuracy and won four duels in midfield, making three tackles in the process.
Pedri - 8/10
Pedri passed the ball with 91% accuracy, including two key passes. He attempted one shot that was off-target, won four duels and also made two tackles.
Lamine Yamal - 8/10
Yamal had a good game but faltered slightly in front of goal as none of his four attempts were on target. He also played four key passes and won seven duels.
Ferran Torres - 7/10
Torres scored the opening goal of the game for his team and put in a decent performance overall to help secure a comfortable win.
Gavi - 7.5/10
Gavi passed the ball with 93% accuracy, won eight duels in midfield, and also completed two dribbles in a good performance.
Substitutes
Fermin Lopez - 7.5/10
He replaced the injured Olmo in the first period and bagged himself an assist in the second period.
Pablo Torre - 7/10
He replaced de Jong at the halfway mark of the match and put in a good performance.
Robert Lewandowski - 7.5/10
The Pole came on and scored in the second half to secure a comfortable win for his team.
Gerard Martin & Pau Victor - N/A
They came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes apiece to warrant a rating.
