Manchester City, the dominant force in English football for over a decade, finds itself once again under the Premier League's microscope. This time, however, the allegations are not about intricate financial dealings or sponsorship controversies, but something seemingly more mundane: breaches of kick-off timing regulations. Recent reports confirm that City has been hit with a substantial fine of £1.08 million for delaying kick-offs and re-starts on nine separate occasions during the 2024/25 season. While a million-pound fine might seem like a drop in the ocean for a club of City's financial might, these sanctions underscore a deeper tension within the Premier League – a battle between sporting integrity, commercial interests, and the relentless demands of a global broadcasting behemoth. This isn't merely a trivial matter of punctuality. It speaks to the meticulous choreography of modern football, where every second is accounted for, and every deviation from the schedule has...
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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