Barcelona hard time continues as they were held to a 2-2 draw in their La Liga game against struggling side Osasuna. The result sees Xavi’s side stay eighth in the table, 18 points behind the La Liga leaders Real Madrid who won Atletico Madrid Madrid 2-0 later the same day. Teenagers Nicolas Gonzalez and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, both 19, scored for the visitors, but the two goals were not ensured to give them victory.
Barcelona Held by Struggling Osasuna
Osasuna rigid back twice with David Garcia and Ezequiel Avila, ensuring they deserved the contest. Barca has only kept a league-low three clean sheets this season. Barcelona had come into the fixture to make amends for consecutive defeats by Real Betis and Bayern Munich, but the reverse was the case.
Midfielder Gonzalez gave them a perfect start in the first half of the game after beating goalkeeper Sergio Herrera to register his first goal for the club. However, Garcia headed in an equaliser two minutes later after some non-existent marking from a set-piece and Barca, still suffering from a lengthy injury list.
They did improve after the break, and Ousmane Dembele’s driving run was rewarded as Ezzalzouli converted his cross from close range. It looked like they had won the game until Avila drove in from the edge of the penalty area to level the scores again.
