Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres and Gavi shone brightly as Barcelona made light work of CA Osasuna on Sunday, beating them 4-0 at Camp Nou in La Liga.
Coming into the game on the back of a dour goalless draw against Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League, Barcelona looked in the mood from kick-off as they dominated proceedings from the get-go. The first goal came just 14 minutes in, after Gavi was fouled inside the box by Nacho Vidal, with Ferran Torres converting the resulting penalty.
Seven minutes later, the Blaugrana doubled their tally when Ousmane Dembele played a piercing pass through the Osasuna defence for Torres to run into, and the Spaniard produced a composed finish through the legs of Sergio Herrera. Barcelona were three goals to the good in the 27th minute, with Dembele the creator again, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang toe-poked the Frenchman’s cross into the back of the net.
Osasuna barely threatened going forward on the night, while Barcelona also seemed to ease off a bit after the half-time break, controlling the game without creating as many opportunities. With 15 minutes left on the clock, substitute Riqui Puig added the fourth goal, pouncing on a rebound to produce a fine finish after his initial strike from the edge of the area was saved.
The victory sees Barcelona move up to third in the La Liga standings, dislodging Atletico Madrid, who had usurped the spot following their win over Cadiz on Friday. Here are our player ratings for the Blaugrana stars after an emphatic result at Camp Nou.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6/10
The German international was a spectator for most of the game, with Osasuna hardly posing any goalscoring threat against Barcelona. Ter Stegen distributed well from the back, though.
Dani Alves: 7/10
Back into the starting XI, the veteran defender produced a solid performance against Osasuna. Alves did not have much defending to do with his team dominating, and he often drifted into central areas to support Sergio Busquets. Some of his link-up play with Ousmane Dembele on the right flank was eye-catching.
Gerard Pique: 7/10
MILESTONE! 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Barça appearances for @3gerardpique! pic.twitter.com/RBIdrb37M8
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 13, 2022
An assured display at the heart of the defence by Pique, who was making his 600th appearance for Barcelona. The veteran star hardly gave the opposition attackers a sniff, reading the game well to cut out any potential threats. His distribution from the back was also crucial to how the team played. Taken off after the hour mark as he was playing with a niggle.
Eric Garcia: 7/10
Back-to-back starts for the former Manchester City ace, who put in another solid display after impressing in the draw against Galatasaray. Eric Garcia was not troubled much defensively but dealt with whatever came his way with comfort. He was calm and composed with the ball at his feet and helped Barcelona in their build-up play.
Jordi Alba: 7/10
Not entirely at his marauding best on the night, Alba was slightly conservative against Osasuna. But the left-back still played an important role in helping the team exert their dominance. Osasuna tried to target his flank on occasions but kept things in check in defence as well.
Pedri: 7.5/10
awestruck by pedri pic.twitter.com/OncmG57CuP
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 13, 2022
The midfield metronome stitched together the play for Barcelona with his precise passing and effective link-up play in the right-side channel. Some of his interplay with Dembele was pleasing to the sights, and most of the positive moves that the Blaugrana created went through Pedri. With the game in the bag, he was withdrawn as Xavi opted to rest him for the upcoming matches.
Sergio Busquets: 7.5/10
The Barcelona captain put in another classy display in the middle of the park. Busquets effortlessly dictated the tempo from the deeper areas of the pitch, while his reading of the game helped him cut out attacks before they could fully develop. He is clearly thriving in this setup since Xavi took over the reins.
Gavi: 8/10
Gavi’s game against Osasuna:
90’ Played
1 Penalty Won
96% Passing Accuracy
0.31 xA
5/6 Successful Dribbles
102 Touches
1 Key Pass
9 Ball Recoveries⁰4 Interceptions
3 Tackles
10/16 Duels WonWorld Class. pic.twitter.com/9TIpNYZdkp
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 14, 2022
Back in the side after missing the Galatasaray clash, the teenage prodigy put in an all-action display which was crucial to Barcelona dominating proceedings. Full of energy and purpose, Gavi made several ball recoveries and won the majority of duels he entered into.
His passing was precise throughout, while he also did not shy from driving forward whenever a chance presented itself. He won the penalty for the opener, created opportunities for his teammates and showed off some neat skills.
Ousmane Dembele: 8/10
The French winger caused all sorts of problems to the Osasuna defence with his pace, direct running, movement, vision and understanding with his teammates. He drifted infield before playing a peach of a pass for Torres leading to the second goal and then delivered a fine cross into the box for Aubameyang’s strike. Dembele also found Puig with a fine pass in the lead-up to the fourth goal of the night. He is repaying the faith shown by the manager.
This duo though ?@Auba x @Dembouz pic.twitter.com/OqFU1A1kD5
— 433 (@433) March 14, 2022
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7.5/10
Reinstated to the starting XI, the former Arsenal captain continued his fine start to life at Barcelona with another well-taken goal, showing his clinical nature in the box. At the same time, he acted as the first point of press for his team, while his movement in the final third created space for the likes of Torres and Dembele to wreak havoc. He is proving to be a quality signing already.
Ferran Torres: 8/10
The Player to Watch in our match preview, Ferran Torres was under some pressure coming into the game due to his poor outing against Galatasaray. However, he answered his critics with a fine display on Sunday night by scoring two goals – the first a nerveless penalty and the second a composed finish through the opposition goalkeeper’s legs. The performance will do a world of good for his confidence.
Ferran Torres contributes a goal or assist every 116 minutes for Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/TSXEKK0va8
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) March 13, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Clement Lenglet: 6.5/10
He made a rare appearance when he replaced Pique in the 62nd minute. Lenglet kept things tight at the back for the final half-hour.
Riqui Puig: 7/10
On for Pedri in the 73rd minute and made an impression minutes after coming on, as he forced Sergio Herrera into a save before pouncing on the rebound to make it 4-0.
Memphis Depay: 6/10
He was sent on in place of Dembele in the 73rd minute. Depay had one or two half-chances, but he could not make the most of those.
Oscar Mingueza: N/A
Late substitute for Alba.
Martin Braithwaite: N/A
Late substitute for Torres.
