Premier League Stars: Shining on the World Stage For many, the international break was an opportunity to cement their reputations or seize redemption. Premier League footballers played pivotal roles in decisive World Cup qualifiers and friendlies around the globe. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) blazed a trail by firing Norway to their first World Cup since 1998, scoring 16 goals in just eight qualifiers. Haaland netted a brace in a 4-1 win over Italy and scored at least once in every qualifier, underlining his unstoppable scoring form for both club and country. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) , struggling for Premier League goals this season, exploded with a hat-trick in Portugal’s 9-1 demolition of Armenia — his first-ever international treble and a statement performance that reenergized his nation’s qualifying campaign. Jeremy Doku (Manchester City) dazzled for Belgium, creating 10 chances and netting two goals with an assist across two games. His relentless dribbling and cre...
After Osasuna defeated Barcelona 4-2 on Saturday despite having just 25% of the ball, Barcelona's undefeated record in La Liga is ended.
Given that Barcelona had won all eight of their previous La Liga visits to El Sadar, it ought to have been an easy victory. Osasuna, however, had a surprise in store.
It eventually came back to haunt manager Hansi Flick when he started a few young players, such as Pau Víctor, Pablo Torre, Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, and Sergi Domínguez.
Under Flick, Barcelona has only conceded 5 goals in La Liga, while they have scored 4!
After scoring on the counter both times, the hosts took advantage of a 17- and 19-year-old center-back combination to take a commanding 2-0 lead in just 28 minutes. After forty minutes, Barcelona, on the other hand, had no shots.
After arriving late in the box, Bryan Zaragoza ran ahead and past goalkeeper Iñaki Peña Sotorres from a tight angle, surpassing Ante Budimir as the club's all-time La Liga scorer.
Minutes into the second half, Barcelona must have had a blistering conversation during halftime, suggesting that the comeback was imminent. Víctor's unexpected strike wobbled badly and sent Sergio Herrera to sleep, winning 2-1.
But even with Flick bringing on big guns Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, Barcelona was unable to muster any meaningful offensive play and lost three times in a row when they broke. On his record-breaking night, Budimir secured a brace while Domínguez gave up a penalty.
Furthermore, Osasuna's historic victory was sealed when substitute Abel Bretones scored from long range after depriving the Spain prodigy of the ball, even if Yamal ultimately reached the upper right corner on his own.
As a result of their first home victory over Barcelona in twelve years, Osasuna now sits sixth in the table. If Real Madrid defeats Atletico Madrid on Sunday, they will trail Barcelona by one point.
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