FC Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna: Blaugranas set El Clasico final after breezing past Osasuna, Lamine Yamal creates record

FC Barcelona has defeated Osasuna in the semifinal of Spanish Super Cup by 2-0, thus setting a blockbuster clash at the finals of the midweek tournament against arch rivals Real Madrid, who had reached that stage after hustling past crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid on the previous night. Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal were on target for Barcelona, as Xavi’s brigade looks more potent after brandishing a powerful performance.

Barcelona defeats Osasuna

FC Barcelona has finally found their mojo back, after they brushed aside the stern challenge posed by La Liga rivals Osasuna, at the semifinal of prestigious Spanish Super Cup, a trophy, which Xavi holds very close to his heart as it was the first silverware of his managerial stint at his home club. With a game to play in the finals, Barca would be coming all guns blazing as they would look to secure the trophy once again after defeating arch rivals Real Madrid, just like previous year, when they outclassed their opponents 3-1. And owing to their performance last night, it could be safe to say that although Barca might be lacking their firepower in their La Liga title defense, they would not be the easiest team to defeat as they would look to defend the coveted Super Cup title, thus strengthening the fact that they are almost back to their best.

With a final beckoning, both sides went with their strongest eleven, as Xavi named all of his regular starters in the game. The attacking duties were vested with Ferran, Raphinha and Lewandowski, with all eyes on Lewa as the Polish record striker is currently running short on goals, with midfield comprising the seasoned troika of Gundogan, Frenkie and Sergi Roberto. Defensive responsibilities were rested on the fans’ favorite quartet of “B-A-C-K”, with Balde, Araujo, Christensen and Kounde guarding the wall.

As for Osasuna, they went with a two-faced attack with Budimir and Arnaiz on the front, hoping for some early inroads which would expose the defensive frailties of the Spanish champions.

Robert Lewandowski is back?

There has been a lot of speculation about the form of reigning Pichichi holder Robert Lewandowski. The former Bayern Munich stalwart, who holds the record of scoring most number of goals in a single Bundesliga season to scoring five goals in nine minutes, is currently going through a rough patch, as he keeps coming short of his exceptional goal-scoring prowess, thus misfiring shots. But, it might be safe to say that for a striker of his caliber, Robert is trying to get his mojo back, after scoring two goals in two consecutive games for the Catalans.

In the last game against fourth tier side UD Barbastro, Robert scored the winner from the spot, and last night, it was his goal which helped Barca gain the lead, early in the second half. After a mundane first half with 0-0 score line, and Raphinha being subbed off due to an apparent injury, both teams have fairly held the ball to themselves. Yamal, after being introduced on the field in place of Raphinha, almost made the first inroad after passing a gorgeous ball to Lewa, but Osasuna stopper Herrera made a fine save to keep the score intact.

As the clock approached past the hour mark, it was Gundogan who decided to take matters in his own hands. He juggled with the ball to get a sweet pass to Lewandowski, as the Polish scored with a lovely finish, thus Catalan fans getting a faint glimpse of debut season’s Lewa, who swirled to give Barca a lifeline. Thus, Gundo-Lewa rekindled their Borussia Dortmund connection, thus helping Barcelona an advantage, as they needed to hold on the score line from there.

Lamine Yamal- the magician

After Lewa’s goal, Joao Felix and Pedri came on the field, to add more creativity and spark to the game. The Portuguese wizard almost doubled the lead, but it took an exceptional save from Herrera to keep it from going inside the goal. From Osasuna’s point of view, they could not create enough chances to score, but also left spaces to be exploited by Barca, who scored another goal to complete the game.

Joao Felix produced a classic solo run on the flanks, finding La Masia wizard Lamine Yamal alone on the opponent box, who, in turn, churned out an ultra-sensational counter-attack to double up the lead with few minutes from extra time. After the final whistle, Barca finally showcased their mettle to set-up a final date with arch-rivals Real Madrid, which is staged for tomorrow. Lamine, in the process, broke his teammate Gavi’s record of becoming the youngest goal scorer in Spanish Super Cup.