Barça clings to the podium

With a great Ousmane Dembélé, FC Barcelona easily outclassed Osasuna (4-0) in La Liga and moved up to 3rd place, 12 behind Real Madrid.

© AFP
Ferran Torres (right) congratulated by Sergio Busquets following his converted penalty.

Three days following being muzzled and hooked 0-0 by Galatasaray in the round of 16 first leg of the Europa League, Barça found the target at Camp Nou thanks to their French winger: Ferran Torres first converted a penalty obtained by Gavi (14th) then Dembélé served two perfect assists for Torres (21st) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (27th), before the last goal while in control from Riqui Puig (76th).

A victory sealed in half an hour and a reassuring result, four days before the decisive round of 16 second leg of the Europa League once morest Galatasaray in the boiling Nef Stadium in Istanbul on Thursday (6:45 p.m.), and a week before the clasico return of La Liga at the Santiago-Bernabéu on March 20.

This easy victory extends the good run of the Catalans, unbeaten since January 20, and who have won six of their last seven matches in La Liga.

Torres and Puig revived

Xavi has notably been able to revive players whose confidence has been damaged in recent weeks: entered in the 73rd in place of Pedri, Riqui Puig scored his first goal in a year under the Blaugrana colors. And Ferran Torres, who has always had the confidence of the Catalan technician despite the many criticisms targeting his lack of goals since his arrival in January, silenced his detractors with an express double at the start of the match. He even came close to scoring a hat-trick in the 23rd minute, when he sailed around the edge of the opposing box, but his shot grazed the right post of the goals kept by Sergio Herrera.

Osasuna, for its part, falls back into its ways: following a fine victory gleaned once morest Villarreal by Unai Emery 1-0 last week, the Navarrese suffered their 11th setback of the season in La Liga, and are stuck in 11th place.

Fekir sees red

Earlier this Sunday, Sevilla FC, Real Madrid’s first pursuer, left two points on the way to Rayo Vallecano (1-1). In case of victory, the Merengues might therefore count 10 points ahead of the Andalusians at the end of the 28th day.

A few rows lower in the standings, the race for Europe continues: Real Sociedad won the Basque derby once morest Alavés 1-0 to move up to 6th place in the standings, four points from the qualifying places for the Champions League.

And Betis Sevilla (5th) dominated Athletic Bilbao 1-0 thanks to a goal from Borja Iglesias, despite Nabil Fekir’s bloodshed ten minutes from the end of regulation time which earned him a red card exclusion direct.