Osasuna ended Barcelona’s perfect start to the La Liga season with a commanding 4-2 win on Saturday.
Barcelona, who had won all seven of their initial matches, struggled in Pamplona as a rotated side headed by Hansi Flick fell apart. Ante Budimir scored twice, and Bryan Zaragoza added another, as Osasuna capitalised on Barcelona’s defensive flaws.
Pau Victor momentarily gave Barcelona hope by equalising before Budimir scored his second penalty. Abel Bretones then clinched the victory with a magnificent strike from the edge of the box, but Lamine Yamal replied with a wonderful goal late on.
Victory would have equalled Barcelona’s best start to a La Liga season with eight straight wins, but they were unable to increase their lead over second-placed Real Madrid.
“There are no excuses for the rotations, we have a lot of games to play,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told Movistar. “In the second half, we deserved more, but we conceded when we were playing our best.”
Ahead of their Champions League clash with Young Boys on Tuesday, Flick rotated his squad, starting Gerard Martin, Sergi Dominguez, Pablo Torre, and Victor while resting key players like Yamal and Raphinha. This reshuffle led to a sluggish first half from Barcelona, allowing Zaragoza to dominate.
Zaragoza, who starred for Granada in previous season’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona, was on loan from Bayern Munich. He brought up the first goal with a fine cross, which Budimir headed in after 18 minutes, then scored the second himself, rounding custodian Inaki Pena after a clever run.
Barcelona’s complaints about a foul on Victor in the build-up were denied, and the league leaders struggled to create clean chances, with Ferran Torres wasting their finest chance.
At halftime, Flick added Yamal, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati to help ignite a comeback. Moments later, Victor took advantage of a poor throw by Osasuna custodian Sergio Herrera, pulling Barcelona back into the game with a long-range shot that Herrera missed.
Despite Barcelona’s efforts, Osasuna restored their lead when Dominguez fouled Budimir in the box, and the Croatian striker converted the penalty. Bretones added a fourth with a powerful shot from distance before Yamal’s late goal and Torres hitting the post.
Osasuna’s victory lifts them to sixth, and Zaragoza reflected on the win, saying, “We knew Barcelona were an incredible team, but we went out there determined to give it everything, and it was a special game to be part of.”