Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo scored early goals to lead Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Osasuna and extend its lead of the Spanish league on Thursday.
Coach Hansi Flick rested Robert Lewandowski until the final stretch, when the Poland star came on and headed in a cross by fellow substitute Fermin Lpez.
It was Lewandowski’s league-leading 23rd goal of the season.
The game had been originally scheduled for March 8 but was postponed after a first-team doctor of Barcelona died hours before kickoff.
The victory moved Barcelona three points ahead of Real Madrid and seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid with 10 rounds remaining.
Torres culminated a team passing move in the 11th minute when he scored from a low cross by Alejandro Balde.
Frenkie de Jong played Balde clear before the left back found Torres for the striker’s 14th goal of the season across all competitions despite playing most games as a second-half substitute for Lewandowski. Torres also hit the crossbar with a free kick late in the first half.
Olmo doubled the lead in the 21st after converting a penalty on a second try that he had earned when fouled by goalkeeper Sergio Herrera. Herrera saved his initial penalty but Olmo made good on a second attempt after Osasuna midfielder Jon Moncayola invaded the area early.
Olmo left the game a few minutes later with an apparent leg injury.
Osasuna’s top scorer Ante Budimir, who came from playing with Croatia, went on for the final half hour but was unable to threaten in attack.
Barcelona extended its unbeaten run in 2025 to 19 straight games across all competitions.
The Barcelona vs Osasuna match will not be played. A tragic news has hit the Blaugrana coaching staff. The club has announced the death of Carles Minarro, assistant to Ricard Pruna. Therefore, the club requested the postponement of the match. At 20:40, Barcelona officially announced, through the stadium’s loudspeakers and by means of a statement, that the match would not be played.
Tragic news has hit the Barcelona family and the Catalans asked that the match against Osasuna not be played. The two teams arrived as normal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys and even took to the pitch to warm up, but everything quickly stopped and the players returned to the dressing room.
Carles Minarro passed away this afternoon. The doctor began working at the club in 2017. Before joining Barcelona, he worked as an assistant doctor in the Sports Care and Prevention Unit at the Centre d’Alt Rendiment de San Cugat. He had also been in the medical services of Centre d’Esports Sabadell.
Barcelona was bested yet again by Getafe‘s defense in a 1-1 draw in LaLiga on Saturday, while Atletico Madrid‘s club record winning streak ended after a late penalty miss by Antoine Griezmann.
Barcelona got its first goal in five visits to Getafe thanks to Jules Kound‘s goal in the 10th minute, but Getafe equalized and clamped down to get a fourth consecutive draw at its stadium against the powerhouse.
The last time Barcelona won at Coliseum Stadium was in 2019, making the fixture a yearly quagmire for the Catalan club.
Real Madrid will aim to take advantage of the slips by its title rivals when it hosts Las Palmas on Sunday.
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Atletico’s 1-0 loss to Leganes, its first loss since Oct. 27, left it one point ahead of Madrid.
Barcelona was five points behind the front-runner. This round marks the beginning of the second half of the league.
Barcelona frustrated again
Barcelona was coming off huge wins: A 5-2 thrashing of Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and a 5-1 win over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey. Barcelona visits Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday.
But Jos Bordalas’s Getafe, with its physical, defensive style, once again frustrated Barcelona in Hansi Flick’s first visit as its coach.
Kound put Barcelona ahead when Pedri threaded a pass to meet the right back’s move into the area. Goalkeeper David Sora blocked his first effort but Kound scrambled the rebound out of Sora’s grasp and over the line.
Moments after Raphinha headed a cross by Kound into the side netting, Getafe leveled in the 34th during a defensive letdown by the visitors. Mauro Arambarri put in a loose ball after Iaki Pea did well to make a one-handed save of a volley by Coba de Costa.
“We controlled the game but they scored on the one chance they had, it is too bad,” Kound said. “We didn’t have our finishing touch.”
Griezmann misses spot kick
Griezmann had a chance to at least snatch a point for the league leader after a video review awarded Atletico a 90th-minute penalty for a handball by defender Sergio Gonzlez. But the French forward stroked his spot kick wide.
Griezmann and Julin Alvarez hit the woodwork in the first half, but the leaders couldn’t respond after Leganes defender Matija Nastasic scored with a 49th-minute header.
Last week, Atletico broke its own record of 13 consecutive victories in 2012-13.
Leganes returned to the first division this season and has become a giant-slayer in the top-flight. The modest club from Madrid stunned Barcelona when it was leader in December. Its win over Atletico lifted it into 15th place.
“We don’t have anything special, this is just the result of the hard work we put in each week,” Leganes goalkeeper Marko Dmitoriv said. “We have beaten two of the three big teams in the league, so we have no excuse not to perform like this each time out.”
Atletico, which was the biggest spender for Spanish clubs in the summer, is trying to win its third league under Simeone after titles in 2014 and 2021. Simeone said that during those championship runs, his side lost to smaller clubs Almeria (in 2014) and Levante (in 2021), and that didn’t stop them from still beating Barcelona and Madrid to the title.
“We had 15 wonderful games, a record in the history of this club. It was a great run that benefitted us in the league, Copa del Rey and Champions League,” Simeone said.
Atletico defenders Javi Galn and Clement Lenglet received their fifth yellow cards of the season and will miss the next round against Villarreal. But first, Atletico hosts Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Kike Garca blasts Betis
Alaves striker Kike Garca scored a hat trick to lead a 3-1 win at 10-man Real Betis.
The 35-year-old Garca, known more as a workhorse than a big scorer, earned a penalty after being fouled by Marc Bartra and opened the scoring in the 11th.
After Betis lost Romain Perraud to a red card for a dangerous foul in the 55th, Garca spun before firing home in the 80th and thumped in a header for his treble.
Lukbakio produces Sevilla late winner
Dodi Lukbakio starred again for Sevilla after scoring a solo effort in the 89th minute to complete a 2-1 comeback at Girona.
The Belgium forward tallied his team-leading ninth goal of the season after he nutmegged Ladislav Krejci before slotting the late winner past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Gazzaniga saved a first-half penalty by Isaac Romero.
Jude Bellingham missed a penalty but scored a late winner and Vinicius Jr. was sent off as 10-man Real Madrid fought back in the most dramatic of fashions to beat Valencia 2-1 and return to the top of La Liga on Friday.
Luka Modri’s 85th minute equalizer and Bellingham’s stoppage time winner ensured that Madrid avoided back-to-back defeats in La Liga for the first time since 2019.
The win took it to 43 points, two above city rival Atletico, albeit having played a game more.
The match at the Mestalla pitted second from bottom against second from top and it was the struggling home side which took the lead after 27 minutes. Hugo Duro stabbed the ball into the empty net after it came back off the post.
Madrid came into the game more in the second half but it looked like it would be a frustrating night for the capital club.
Kylian Mbapp won a penalty after 55 minutes but Bellingham’s shot hit the post and moments later the Frenchman himself saw a goal disallowed after a video review.
Things got worse for Real with 11 minutes remaining when Vinicius pushed goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski and the referee, after a long video review, showed the Brazilian a red card.
However, Real is never out of it and Carlo Ancelotti’s late changes turned the game around.
Modri came on in the 80th and it took the 39-year-old Croatian just five minutes to make his mark, dancing through a sea of defenders and poking home the equalizer.
Even with a man less there was a sense of inevitability as Real pushed for a winner, and five minutes into added time Bellingham made up for his earlier miss.
Valencia defender Hugo Guillamn seemed to slip and lay the ball into the path of the advancing Englishman, who made no mistake with only the keeper to beat.
Even then the drama was not over. Valencia deserved to take something from the match and Luis Roja almost got an equalizer with the last kick of the game. He watched in agony as his long-range shot came back off the post.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone ran down the touchline in joy while Barcelona players sunk to the turf in dismay.
Super sub Alexander Sørloth struck again deep in stoppage time to hand Atletico a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and ensure Atletico will spend La Liga’s short winter break on top of the table.
Atletico’s 12th straight win in all competitions lifted it three points above Barcelona.
Barcelona has only two wins in its last nine games and could find itself third on Sunday if Real Madrid beats Sevilla.
Simeone, coaching Atletico since 2011, celebrated winning at Barcelona for the first time.
“We finally did it,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. “We are playing well, we started poorly but we knew our chances would come. And in the last minute Sørloth came through. Thanks to him we finally won here. He is the striker we needed.”
It was a much more impressive performance from Barcelona, which dominated for long periods and took a deserved lead in the 30th minute.
Pedri started and ended the move, playing a one-two with Gavi, and firing an angled shot into the bottom right corner.
Raphinha almost doubled Barcelona’s lead in stunning fashion in the 57th when he lobbed the goalkeeper but the ball came off the crossbar. Robert Lewandowski got to the rebound but sent it onto the head of Axel Witsel, who needed treatment.
Barcelona was made to rue its missed opportunities when Atletico levelled just three minutes later, partly thanks to a defensive blunder.
Barcelona midfielder Marc Casadó tried to clear Julián Álvarez’s cross but passed it straight to Rodrigo De Paul, who fired into the bottom right corner. Casadó put his hands to his head and dropped to his knees in dismay.
Worse was to come for Barcelona as, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Nahuel Molina made a fantastic run to latch onto a through ball and cross in for Sørloth to fire into the back of the net.
It was Sørloth’s eighth goal of the season, five of them after he’s come off the bench.
Bilbao’s unbeaten run
Athletic Bilbao came from behind to beat Osasuna 2-1 and extend its unbeaten run to 14 matches and remain just five points behind Atletico.
Gorka Guruzeta and Alex Berenguer sealed the comeback win for fourth-placed Bilbao after Lucas Torro gave Osasuna a 25th-minute lead at El Sadar.
Guruzeta headed Bilbao level in the 31st and Berenguer struck the winner in the 74th.
Mallorca won at Getafe 1-0 and moved up to fifth.
Cyle Larin’s 53rd-minute penalty settled the game at Estadio Coliseum to move Mallorca to within 11 points of the top.
The Canada international scored for the third time in his last two games after being brought down in the area by Juan Berrocal. From the spot, Larin fired low and left to beat Getafe goalkeeper David Soria.
Mallorca has back-to-back wins following last week’s 2-1 victory against Girona.
Also, Pablo Duran scored twice in the first half to secure a 2-0 win for Celta Vigo against Real Sociedad.
Second defeat for the leader in this Liga and both in the North. Winter is coming’ for a Bara that was beaten 0-1 at the Reale Arena by a more intense Real that took advantage of Take Kubo’s great game.
The Japanese was sensational, quick on the ball, intelligent in his decisions and was decisive for the victory of Imanol’s team. The defeat of the azulgrana should be justified more by their lack of character against a very intense team than by the absence of Lamine Yamal, who was not even called up.
There are fields where you know that if you don’t play intense they can paint your face and one of them is the Reale Arena.
The worst local team was playing against the best away team, something difficult to understand as Real Sociedad was the team playing at home.
Imanol’s team is a team that presses high and intensely and with a crowd that presses the rival a lot, so it is hard to understand that they had only scored four points out of a possible 18 at the Reale Arena before the visit of the azulgrana.
But this kind of statistics sometimes motivate even more those who have to lose, as it was the case. Real’s great game had its just reward.
The match did not let up from Cuadra Fernndez’s whistle. Before the first minute Casad prevented the 1-0 by taking away a clear goal ball from Sucic when the Croatian was about to finish from close range a pass from Kubo. Bara accepted the challenge of the intensity posed by the Basques and with two arrivals on the wing by Raphinha made their intentions clear. Flick managed to score after 13 minutes when Lewandowski took advantage of a bad clearance by Zubeldia inside the box and beat Remiro from close range. But the VAR discovered a millimetric offside of the Pole that invalidated it.
All of Real’s attacking play came down the right flank, where Take Kubo stood out. The Japanese player drove the defense crazy and came close to scoring a great goal in a play that included several dribbles.
Brais also tested Iaki Pea with a free kick. The Donostiarras warned and after half an hour they managed to take the lead on the scoreboard when Sheraldo Becker picked up an extension from Sucic that Cubars did not reach and beat Iaki Pea with a cross shot close to the post. Bara disappeared after the goal and a new play by Kubo with a deep pass to Becker and a subsequent pass from him to Oyarzabal to make it 2-0 at his pleasure, but he shot wide with everything in his favor to score.
In the second half, Dani Olmo came on for a rested De Jong, but the script was the same as at the end of the first half. A more intense Real and a Kubo in a state of grace that the first thing he did was to give a good ball to Sheraldo Becker who failed to take advantage of his advantageous position. Oyarzabal again had another clear chance, but Iaki Pea prevented the 2-0. Real wanted to finish the game off, but Bara held on and made Remiro show off a couple of times. Imanol did not want his team’s intensity to decrease and made a quadruple substitution with Aritz, Sergio Gmez, Barrenetxea and Oskarsson.
A fair and short victory
Bara’s line defense suffered more than it should have and Barrenetxea had another chance to make it 2-0 after breaking the line with ease. Kubo, from a corner, also came close to scoring, but Lewandowski denied the Japanese. Despite the home side’s attempts, the 1-0 scoreline kept Bara alive, who tried in the end but had no chance of getting close to Remiro. A fair and even short victory for Real, which is getting closer to the European places.
Real Madrid moved level with rivals Barcelona, ahead of the Blaugrana’s match on Sunday, by defeating Villarreal 2-0 on Saturday night.
Los Blancos entered the match off the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League midweek, and while they weren’t at their free-flowing best, they did manage to claim all three points against a plucky Villarreal outfit.
The home side needed just 14 minutes to open the scoring, and they did so in spectacular fashion. Luka Modric played a short corner kick back to Federico Valverde, who unleashed a stunning strike from distance that was aided by a deflection, before slotting past Diego Conde in the Villarreal goal.
Villarreal’s Yeremy Pino in actionBernat ArmangueAP
Although many would have expected Real to cruise on from there, that wasn’t the case, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side finding it tough to create chances.
Jude Bellingham tried his luck with a shot that went wide of the goal later in the half, while Kylian Mbappe couldn’t get a shot off after seemingly being played in behind the Villarreal defence.
As a result Los Blancos headed into the break with the one-goal advantage, though they were handed a scare early in the half when Thierno Barry was played in and seemingly taken down in the box. However, the play was ruled offside, much to the relief of the home side and fans.
Alex Baena then tried his luck from a freekick and sent his effort wide, while Real Madrid struggled to carve out anything of note as the minutes continued to tick away.
ANGEL RIVEROMARCA
Vinicius puts the match to bed
Vinicius put Real nerves to rest in the 73rd minute. The Brazilian received the ball just outside the area before unleashing a fierce drive that left a diving Conde with no chance.
The goal seemed to end Villarreal’s belief that they could take something from the match, with Real Madrid firmly in control in the closing stages.
Unfortunately for Real the match ended on a sour note when Dani Carvajal came together with Yeremy Pino in the closing moments. The Real legend was then forced off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a leg injury.
The result means Real move level with Barcelona atop the standings on 21 points, with the Blaugrana set to take on Alaves on Sunday. As for Villarreal, they remain third with 17 points.
Five games, five victories, and the last in emphatic fashion. There is a solid leader in LaLiga, and it seems they’re here to stay.
This Barcelona team, under Hansi Flick, is starting to instill fear in its rivals with beautiful football, showcasing improvements in defense, powerful attacking play, and a pressing style reminiscent of the team’s glory days under Messi.
Barcelona hasn’t started a LaLiga season with five consecutive wins since 2017-18. This excellent start has been highlighted by Lamine Yamal, not only for his double against Girona, but for his potential to make history if injuries don’t hold him back.
It’s important to remember the fate of Ansu Fati after his injury. Girona, a team bound for the Champions League, was completely overwhelmed by a Barcelona team looking for revenge after suffering defeats against them last season. Barcelona scored four but could have easily had more.
Alejandro GarciaEFE
Girona, especially at Montilivi, was considered the first real test of Barcelona’s potential under Flick.
After winning their first four matches, Barcelona came into this Catalan derby in better form than last season, when they were thrashed by Michel’s side in both encounters. Xavi will surely have those matches imprinted in his memory.
However, this Barcelona is different-physically stronger and more secure in defense. Their improved fitness is evident in their pressing, which choked Girona, a team that usually enjoys possession.
Girona, preparing for their Champions League debut on Wednesday, only threatened through quick bursts from Bryan Gil. Miguel Gutirrez’s shot after 18 minutes was their first notable chance.
Barcelona, comfortable both with and without the ball, gradually increased their threat on Gazzaniga’s goal, with shots from Balde and Kound narrowly missing the target.
The visitors’ pressure paid off after half an hour when David Lpez lost the ball while trying to play out from the back, gifting Lamine Yamal a one-on-one with Gazzaniga that he calmly converted.
The young Spanish international, playing at a higher level than expected, sealed the game just seven minutes later with a precise finish from a freekick rebound.
David BorratEFE
Barcelona’s dominance in the first half was overwhelming, but Girona had a chance to get back into the match in the final two minutes. First, Bryan Gil’s point-blank shot forced a stunning save from Ter Stegen, and then a handball by Iigo Martnez led to a penalty. However, VAR overturned the decision, sparking protests from Girona’s fans.
No chance of a Girona comeback
If there were any hopes of a Girona comeback, Dani Olmo dashed them two minutes into the second half with a right-footed strike that beat Gazzaniga at his near post.
Olmo’s signing has been crucial in reenergizing Barcelona’s attack, and this marked his third consecutive match finding the back of the net. His goal deflated Girona, and with a 0-3 scoreline, it seemed impossible for Mchel’s side to mount any resistance.
Pedri rounded off his superb performance by scoring the fourth goal after a Casad assist. With 30 minutes still to play, Girona struggled to make an impact. A shot from Tsygankov that grazed the post was their best opportunity.
Barcelona continued to dominate, and Lewandowski came close to scoring a fifth. Flick made substitutions to rest key players ahead of Thursday’s match in Monaco, and Girona took advantage by scoring a consolation goal through Stuani, assisted by Portu-two of Mchel’s substitutes.
In the end, Barcelona comfortably won the match, further solidifying their intentions to compete for all titles this season. Their next test will be Thursday in their Champions League debut.
Real Madrid bid farewell to Toni Kroos with an emotional tribute to the legendary midfielder in a 0-0 draw with Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Carlo Ancelotti paid his counterpart Manuel Pellegrini the full respect of fielding his strongest XI with a few exceptions, as they looked to extend their unbeaten record to 32 games in La Liga.
Playing his 465th and final LaLiga game for the club before retiring from football after Euro 2024 this summer, Kroos was given a starting spot and a hero’s welcome at the Santiago Bernabeu as they paid tribute to the club icon.
It was Vinicius Junior who was causing the early problems, setting up Dani Carvajal with a cross into the box only for the full-back to blaze over. Then the Brazilian had his own chance to open the scoring, but goalkeeper Fran Vietes pushed the ball away.
Javier LiznEFE
Vietes was proving to be a decent deputy in goal after he denied Vini Jr, who had met Rodrygo’s cross with a neat flick at the front post.
Hector Bellerin should have put Betis in front on 37 minutes when he ran into the box unmarked but somehow headed wide of the target. Betis didn’t stop there, and the visitors thought they had taken the lead through Johnny Cardoso after a glaring error from Thibaut Courtois, who parried Miranda’s delivery straight to his feet.
However, the goal was ruled out following a long VAR check after Marc Roca was adjudged to have impeded a defender when coming back from an offside position.
An evening of goodbyes for Real Madrid
There was work to do for the LaLiga leaders at the break if they were to secure a morale-boosting win before their Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.
Javier LiznEFE
But Betis started off on the front foot and it took a smart stop from Courtois to divert Ayoze Perez’s deflected strike over the bar. The Belgian then made an even better save to prevent Miranda from finding the bottom corner.
Another part of Kroos’ leaving party saw Kepa Arrizabalaga replace Courtois for what would be the final appearance of his loan spell, before the Spain goalkeeper returns to Chelsea in the summer.
Ancelotti also sent on Luka Modric for a final reunion with his long-time midfield partner Kroos for the remaining 15 minutes.
Betis substitute Ez Abde nearly stole all three points minutes after coming on, but the winger’s effort was saved well by Arrizabalaga, who would have been desperate for a clean sheet.
Kroos would get the chance to make a tearful goodbye on 89 minutes as he made way for Dani Ceballos. But despite their late efforts, Real Madrid couldn’t find a goal to end his 11-year career in the Spanish capital with a victory.
The United States’ influence in the world of soccer continues to grow as FIFA has ruled that LaLiga’s Real Madrid and Barcelona can play league games in Miami, Florida, with the World Cup on the horizon in 2026, and the Premier League might not be far behind.
It’s a complete turnaround in the landscape of leagues throughout each European country, since the FIFA Council has approved that from next season some games can be played beyond their borders.
Something that FIFA had previously prohibited, the soccer bosses have slowly relaxed as evidenced by the Spanish Super Cup, which has been playing outside of the European country in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as it headed to Saudi Arabia.
Giovanni Infantino and his executives have now opened the door for LaLiga or the Premier League to play matches in other countries, yet just years ago, the leaders of FIFA and Javier Tebas were at odds over this reason.
LaLiga had even scheduled a LaLiga match in Miami in the form of Barcelona and Girona, but in the face of FIFA’s threat of a sanction and the opposition of many Spanish teams, the Spanish league’s president had to concede as the rules were clear that a domestic league had to be held, at all times, within the country of origin.
However, all signs point to the fact that soon there will be a LaLiga match in Miami as Tebas fulfils his ambition.
LaLiga might not be the only top European league to do this
Playing in Miami, which has the most Spanish speakers of any American city percentage-wise, is something that can become a reality once it receives the green light from FIFA and the English Premier League is also closely watching too.
The top level of British soccer is also looking at the idea of making Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and many more head abroad, but with a very ambitious plan of enjoying matches in the United States, Brazil, Indonesia or India.
