After red cards for Pique and Lewandowski, Barcelona find biggest win of season

PAMPLONA, Spain -- A 10-man Barcelona secured a melodramatic come-from-behind triumph astatine Osasuna connected Tuesday, 2-1.

An aboriginal extremity for Osasuna and a reddish paper for Robert Lewandowski looked to person cornered Barcelona, with a reddish paper for Gerard Pique successful his last lucifer of his nine vocation lone adding insult to injury.

But Barcelona took power successful the 2nd half, adjacent down a man, and collected each 3 points with goals from Pedri and Raphinha.

Here is ESPN's Sam Marsden with absorption and investigation from Estadio El Sadar.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. 10-man Barca excavation heavy for biggest triumph of the season

It is nary exaggeration to accidental this was possibly Barcelona's biggest triumph of the play truthful far.

Given however the crippled developed, they would person happily taken a constituent from Tuesday's crippled astatine Osasuna until Raphinha's precocious header unexpectedly gave them three. Makeshift centre-back Frenkie de Jong picked retired the tally of the Brazilian successful the 85th infinitesimal and helium produced a superb decorativeness to people conscionable his 2nd extremity of the play the time aft helium bemoaned his deficiency of goals since joining from Leeds United.

An hr earlier, it had not looked bully for Barca. They made a dilatory start, Sergio Busquets was sloppy connected a country footwear and they conceded. Then Robert Lewandowski was silly and they were excessively easy coiled up by refereeing decisions that they felt went against them.

But contempt each that, and contempt playing for an hr with 10 men aft Lewandowski's reddish card, they inactive managed to permission Pamplona with a triumph that ensures they volition beryllium apical of LaLiga during the World Cup interruption aft Real Madrid mislaid to Rayo Vallecano connected Monday.

The equaliser had arrived from Pedri, who astatine 19 already looks acceptable to instrumentality implicit the midfield from Busquets, who was painfully disconnected the gait here. His mediocre play led to the country that Osasuna scored from -- helium past mislaid the extremity scorer, David Garcia -- and helium gave the shot again moments aboriginal for Chimy Avila to deed the broadside netting.

Barca were capable to regroup astatine the interruption to unafraid what could beryllium a precise important 3 points travel the extremity of the season.

2. Lewandowski and Pique spot red

There was nary 617th Barcelona quality for Gerard Pique. This was acceptable to beryllium his last crippled earlier retirement, but helium did not marque it onto the transportation aft being sent disconnected astatine the interruption for remonstrating with referee Jesus Gil Manzano. It was the 11th dismissal of his Barca career.

Pique had been angered by Manzano's first-half performance, and Barca were furious that Garcia's aboriginal extremity had not been disallowed for an Unai Garcia foul connected Marcos Alonso.

Barca were besides disappointed that Lewandowski was sent off, though they could person less complaints astir his 2 yellowish cards, particularly the second, which was for a precocious situation led with his elbow. It was conscionable the 2nd dismissal of his vocation and his archetypal since 2013.

Luckily for Barça, it did not outgo them, portion Poland whitethorn beryllium pleased helium got an other hr disconnected up of the World Cup.

3. Osasuna play good but miss accidental to spell third

It volition beryllium scant consolation contiguous but the information this decision felt truthful disappointing is simply a motion of however bully Osasuna person been this season. When they took the lead, they temporarily moved to 3rd successful LaLiga. Instead, they ended the nighttime sixth, but determination tin beryllium nary uncertainty they should beryllium successful the moving for the European places successful the New Year.

Pamplona has ever been a hard spot for teams to spell and that remains existent nether manager Jagoba Arrasate. They were the archetypal squad to instrumentality points of Madrid this season, too, and they volition consciousness they should person done the aforesaid against Barca with the numerical advantage.

However, they could not marque that vantage pay. They had chances, registering 15 shots to Barca's nine, and until the extremity it looked similar they mightiness nick a draw, but Ante Budimir's aboriginal header dropped wide and ended those hopes.

Player ratings

Osasuna: Fernandez 5, Vidal 6, U.Garcia 5, D.Garcia 7, Cruz 6; R.Garcia 7, Moncayola 6, Torro 5, Gomez 6; Oroz 6, Avila 6

Subs: Brasanac 6, Barja 6, Pena 6, Budimir 6, K.Garcia 6

Barcelona: Ter Stegen 6; Balde 7, Christensen 6, Alonso 6, Alba 6; Busquets 3, De Jong 8, Pedri 8; Dembele 6, Lewandowski 3, Ferran Torres 6

Subs: Gavi 6, Raphinha 7, Ansu 6, Chadi Riad 6

Best and worst performers

BEST: Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona

He managed the crippled good erstwhile Barca were reduced to 10 men and filled successful brilliantly arsenic a defender precocious on, producing a superb assistance for Raphinha's winner.

WORST: Sergio Busquets, Barcelona

Maybe Lewandowski earned a information for his petulance, but Busquets was doubly astatine responsibility for the archetypal extremity and struggled astir of the nighttime erstwhile pressed.

Highlights and notable moments

Osasuna stunned Barca with a extremity wrong the archetypal six minutes.

García bushed Busquets to the shot connected a country footwear and nodded it past goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

OSASUNA LEAD BARÇA 1-0 😱 pic.twitter.com/d6D41hlFmW

The proceedings went from atrocious to worse for Barcelona, however, erstwhile Lewandowski earned a 2nd yellowish paper and was ejected from the lucifer successful the 31st minute.

Neither Lewandowski nor anyone connected Barca's broadside person overmuch of an statement though -- helium intelligibly squared up his hostile with nary respect for the whereabouts of the shot and took his antheral out.

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0:56

Robert Lewandowski sent disconnected for Barcelona for 2nd bookable offence.

The happening astir Barca is you tin ne'er number them out, and rapidly aft the interruption they recovered their equaliser.

The extremity was the 3rd for 19-year-old Pedri this season.

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Pedri equalizes for Barcelona

After the match: What the players and managers said

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez connected the result: "I americium truly arrogant of the team, of the household that we are wrong the dressing room. Everything was against america today: the refereeing decisions, the goal, going down to 10... We were intelligent. We took our moments good and were objective with the chances we had. We were coagulated successful the 2nd half, worked hard and we volition beryllium leaders during the World Cup break. It's a squad triumph today. I americium precise proud."

Xavi connected Pique's reddish card: "Pique would person travel connected contiguous due to the fact that Christensen wasn't capable to play 90 minutes and Eric Garcia has immoderate pain. He was the archetypal centre-back to travel disconnected the bench."

Key stats (via ESPN Stats & Info)

• Lewandowski's reddish paper was his 2nd of his career. His archetypal came successful the Bundesliga connected Feb. 9, 2023. He has ne'er received a reddish paper with Poland.

• Pique's reddish paper was the 11th vocation of his vocation with Barcelona, tying Hristo Stoichkov for the astir successful nine history.

• Pedri present has 3 goals successful LaLiga this season. That is adjacent to his extremity haul for each of the 2021-22 season.

• Raphinha's extremity ended a 13-game scoring drought with Barcelona.

Up next

Barcelona: Barca interruption for the World Cup and don't instrumentality to enactment until New Year's Eve erstwhile they volition big Espanyol successful LaLiga connected Dec. 31. The kickoff clip for that crippled is not yet set.

Osasuna: Los Rojillos will play erstwhile much earlier the World Cup: Saturday, Nov. 12 astatine Fuentes successful the Spanish Copa del Rey astatine 10 a.m. ET. (Watch unrecorded connected ESPN+.)