Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Raphinha scores brace for Blaugrana

Barcelona relied on Raphinha to help them scrape past a stubborn Osasuna with a narrow 2-0 victory on Saturday night, opening a seven-point lead at the top of La Liga.

Barcelona utterly dominated the first 45 minutes, boasting 80% possession and taking 13 shots, but the visitors defenders superbly to limit the Blaugrana to mostly speculative efforts while also creating two big chances of their own - each denied by Joan Garcia.

Hansi Flick's side did briefly believe they had broken the deadlock midway through the half when Ferran Torres steered a header into the top corner, but the goal was swiftly ruled out for offside, leaving Barcelona heading into the break frustrated with the score still level at 0-0.

A similar pattern emerged in the early stages of the second half, with Barcelona's attacks repeatedly halted by Osasuna's stern defence, but the hosts finally scored their long-awaited opener as Raphinha found the bottom corner in the 70th minute.

Osasuna briefly thought they had a surprise equaliser when Jorge Herrando sweeped home late in the game, but the goal was swiftly ruled out for a foul on Garcia, and just minutes later Raphinha doubled Barcelona's lead to seal the 2-0 win.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Barcelona are known for their ability to pick teams apart with their quick passing and combinations in central areas, but Osasuna packed the middle of the park - often with a majority of their players stationed inside their own box - and defended fantastically to deny the Blaugrana their usual success.

As a result, Barcelona were forced to constantly circulate the ball from wing to wing as they patiently searched for an opening, and even when they were eventually found, Osasuna's manpower inside their box meant they were able to quickly close down and block any shots on goal, while Sergio Herrera also made a number of saves.

Osasuna's tactics also allowed them to be extremely effective on the rare occasion they could force a counter attack forward, as Barcelona's high-line system under Flick - alongside their players all pushing forward as they looked to force a goal - meant the visitors could quickly break past their defence and into the opposition half.

That was especially the case thanks to the stunning speed of Victor Munoz, who constantly created problems just thanks to his presence, while Ante Budimir was also able to generate several chances thanks to their counters, only for Garcia's wonderful goalkeeping to keep his clean sheet intact.

However, Osasuna were only ever going to survive for a period of time before Barcelona eventually broke their resolve, and after the threat of Munoz was removed, it was just five minutes until Raphinha finally scored the opening goal of the game - rarely catching Osasuna with plenty of players in advanced positions up the pitch.

Munoz was one of five changes made in a short duration by Alessio Lisci, which may have played a hand in Osasuna being caught with no defensive midfielders for Raphinha's goal - something that had not happened prior to the changes - while it also left Barcelona without the danger of being caught on the break by Munoz.

Overall, Barcelona and Flick will be delighted by securing a 2-0 win against a challenging opposition tonight, while Osasuna may be frustrated to be leaving the Camp Nou with no points in hand, as they were brilliant for a majority of tonight's match.

Lisci may be particularly disappointed with his substitutions, as they failed to quickly get up to speed with the game, and that ultimately led to Osasuna being caught out without the defensive numbers for virtually the first time in the game in the 70th-minute.

BARCELONA VS. OSASUNA HIGHLIGHTS

70th min: Barcelona 1-0 Osasuna (Raphinha)

Raphinha finally breaks the deadlock for Barcelona!

Barcelona break forward with Eric Garcia firing the ball into Pedri, who turns and drives deep into Osasuna's half.

Pedri passes into Raphinha in a more central position, the Brazilian gets to the edge of the box and whips a powerful effort into the bottom right corner.

86th min: Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna (Raphinha)

BRACE FOR RAPHA pic.twitter.com/90KbdZywhm
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 13, 2025

Raphinha and Barcelona have their second!

Jules Kounde drives forward and plays the ball out to Lamine Yamal wide on the right wing, who plays it back to the underlapping Kounde.

Kounde clips a ball into the box, and it takes a kind deflection straight to Raphinha at the back post, and the Brazilian easily converts from close range.

MAN OF THE MATCH - RAPHINHA

In a difficult match for Barcelona against the stubborn Osasuna tonight, Raphinha came up with the goods to secure a 2-0 victory and extend their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points.

Raphinha's first was a precise, whipped strike into the bottom right corner from just outside the area, while his second was a more comfortable finish from close range.

While Barcelona eventually walked away with all three points, the Osasuna defence deserves credit for a fantastic performance that frustrated the league leaders for much of the night.

BARCELONA VS. OSASUNA MATCH STATS

Possession: Barcelona 80%-20% Osasuna

Shots: Barcelona 24-3 Osasuna

Shots on target: Barcelona 7-2 Osasuna

Corners: Barcelona 14-6 Osasuna

Fouls: Barcelona 2-6 Osasuna

BEST STATS

13 - Barcelona attempted 13 shots in the first 45 minutes against Osasuna, their most in the first half of game without scoring this season in all competitions. Siege. pic.twitter.com/EdSKeei2Em
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 13, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Barcelona's attention will briefly turn to the Copa del Rey, facing Guadalajara in the round of 32 on Tuesday, before returning to La Liga action with a high-stakes encounter against third-placed Villarreal on Sunday.

Osasuna will similarly compete in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, taking on Huesca, followed by a league clash with Alaves next Saturday.