It didn’t take long for Barcelona’s offense to regain its scoring touch.
After being held to a disappointing scoreless draw with Galatasaray in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League, Barcelona scored three goals in less than 30 minutes on Sunday en route to a comfortable 4-0 win over Osasuna in the La Liga.
Ferran Torres found the net twice and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Riqui Puig added a goal each to keep the Catalan club in third place. It has the same 51 points as Atlético Madrid but leads on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Barcelona also has a game in hand compared to the defending champions.
Barcelona and Atlético trail second-place Sevilla by five points. League leader Real Madrid, which visits relegation-threatened Mallorca on Monday, is 12 points ahead of Barcelona and Atlético.
Madrid hosts Barcelona next Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Barcelona had scored 14 goals in its last four matches in all competitions before the 0-0 home draw against Galatasaray on Thursday.
“We didn’t do a good job the other day and we know it,” Torres said. “But today the team responded well. When you keep creating chances, the ball will keep going in."
Torres opened the scoring Sunday by converting a 14th-minute penalty kick and added to the lead seven minutes later from inside the area after a nice through ball by Ousmane Dembélé.
Dembélé also set up the third goal by Aubameyang in the 27th, making a well-placed cross into the box from the right flank, and the fourth by Puig in the 75th.
Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, making his 600th appearance with the club, had a goal disallowed for offside in the 55th.
Xavi Hernández’s team is unbeaten in 10 straight games, since a loss at Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey in January.
“We had a letdown in intensity against Galatasaray and paid for it,” Xavi said. “Today it was different. It was one of our best matches and it gives us more confidence going forward.”
Barcelona women’s team, which clinched its third straight league title earlier in the day, was honored before the match at the Camp Nou Stadium.
Comments
Follow Us
SHARE