Barcelona vs Osasuna: Stunning 4-2 Defeat Ends Perfect Start

Osasuna stunned La Liga leaders Barcelona with a convincing 4-2 victory on Saturday, ending Barca’s perfect start to the season. Barcelona had won their first seven matches, but a heavily rotated squad struggled in Pamplona as Ante Budimir netted twice, with Bryan Zaragoza and Abel Bretones adding to the scoreline. Pau Victor and Lamine Yamal scored for Barcelona, but it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick took full responsibility for the result. “If you want to blame someone for this defeat, then take me,” he said. He attributed the loss to numerous changes in the lineup, as he rested key players ahead of the Champions League clash against Young Boys. Flick felt it was necessary, especially after a recent loss at Monaco and the busy schedule.

Barcelona’s starting eleven included several young and inexperienced players, with Gerard Martin, Sergi Dominguez, and Pablo Torre all getting opportunities. Regulars like Lamine Yamal and Raphinha were benched, and this weakened side struggled to find rhythm in the first half.

Osasuna winger Bryan Zaragoza was instrumental in the win. He assisted Ante Budimir’s opening goal in the 18th minute with a well-placed cross, and then scored himself just ten minutes later, expertly bypassing goalkeeper Inaki Pena and finishing into the empty net. Despite Barcelona’s complaints of a foul in the build-up, the referee allowed the goal to stand.

Pau Victor gave Barcelona hope after intercepting a poor throw from Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, scoring from distance to pull one back. Flick brought on Yamal and Raphinha in the second half, and Barcelona started to look more dangerous, but the hosts couldn’t maintain their momentum. Robert Lewandowski, who was largely ineffective, was substituted with 20 minutes left.

Osasuna restored their two-goal lead after Budimir converted a penalty following a foul by Dominguez in the box. Abel Bretones added a stunning fourth with a powerful shot from the edge of the area, while Lamine Yamal responded with a fine strike, and Ferran Torres hit the post in a desperate attempt to claw back the game.

“We made many mistakes in the first half,” Flick said. “With so many matches and many players having so many minutes, I had to take care of their fitness. This is my responsibility, and I’ll take the blame for the loss.”

Barcelona midfielder Pedri echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Rotations are normal with so many games, but we made too many mistakes. We deserved more in the second half, but we conceded at crucial moments.”

The loss means Barcelona missed the opportunity to equal their best-ever league start of eight consecutive wins, while Osasuna climbed to sixth place in the standings. Osasuna’s Bryan Zaragoza, who was on loan from Bayern Munich, expressed his excitement at beating the league leaders. “We knew Barcelona was an incredible team. We had to give it our all, and it was an amazing experience to play in such a game,” he said.

Real Sociedad secured a 3-0 win against Valencia, while Getafe earned their first victory of the season, beating Alaves 2-0. Rayo Vallecano and Leganes played out a 1-1 draw to round out Saturday’s La Liga action.