May 02, (THEWILL) – Barcelona earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over 10-man Osasuna in Tuesday’s La Liga clash at Camp Nou, thanks to a late winner from Jordi Alba.
The substitute struck a low shot past Aitor Fernandez at the near post, securing a vital win for the Blaugrana as they chase a first league title since the 2018/2019 season. The match had been largely uneventful until Osasuna’s Jorge Herrando was sent off in the 26th minute for a foul on Pedri as the last man, but despite the visitors being down to 10 men, Barcelona struggled to make the most of their numerical advantage.
Indeed, the game was far from comfortable for the home side, who looked below their best for much of the match. Ronald Araujo went close with a low header from a set-piece, and Robert Lewandowski thought he had broken the deadlock, only for Ferran Torres to be flagged offside.
But it was, therefore, left to Alba to dig Barcelona out of the trenches and send the home crowd into raptures with his late winner. Although considered Champions-in-waiting, Barcelona will need to improve if they are to claim the title, as they will face tougher opposition in their remaining matches.
For now, La Blaugrana will be content with their hard-fought victory and the three points that keep them in the hunt for the title. Their next match is on Sunday when they face Espanyol, while Osasuna will travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid on Saturday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
