Barcelona let three points slip from their grasp at Osasuna as a late stunner from Chimy Ávila secured a 2-2 draw for the hosts in LaLiga on Sunday.
Deprived of seven key players through injury, Barça coach Xavi Hernández was forced to turn to his youngsters and 19-year-olds Nico González and Abde Ezzalzouli both scored as the visitors twice took the lead.
This assist by Gavi pic.twitter.com/d8HMefyQpr
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 12, 2021
19-year-old Abde Ezzalzouli gives Barca the lead and goes to celebrate with Xavi on the sidelines pic.twitter.com/jvcnSopFMp
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 12, 2021
But Osasuna leveled first through defender David García and then almost in stoppage time, through a low shot from Ávila from outside the box that deflected in off Samuel Umtiti's right foot.
OSASUNA GET THE EQUALIZER!
Here we go again pic.twitter.com/JQyMsE7SQs— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) December 12, 2021
Barcelona are eighth in the table, still outside the European qualification places and 15 points off leaders Real Madrid.
Xavi had told reporters on Saturday that he was worried after their 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich which saw them exit the Champions League at the group stage for the first time in almost two decades. He said the club needed “a reset” to create a new Barcelona.
Yet their performance on Sunday in Pamplona was more of the same, as his team continued to struggle to create opportunities and to keep their opponents at bay.
"We are in a negative spiral and we need to find a way to break it," Xavi told reporters. "This draw is not enough. When we scored the second goal we should have taken control but we didn’t and that made us suffer."
No team has conceded more game-tying goals in the final 5 minutes in LaLiga this season than Barcelona pic.twitter.com/zboqdnWh06
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) December 12, 2021
Barça opened the scoring in the 12th minute when 17-year-old Gavi found Nico with a precise long through-ball that broke Osasuna's defensive line and left him all alone inside the area to score. Osasuna responded immediately as García connected with a perfect header that went in close to Marc-André ter Stegen's right post. It then became a nervy encounter with few clear opportunities.
Barcelona's second goal arrived from a counter-attack, created when Osasuna's players were complaining about a handball from Sergio Busquets. Ousmane Dembélé sprinted between the hosts' disrupted defense and crossed for Ezzalzouli to volley home powerfully.
Osasuna never gave up, however, and found the equalizer with an Ávila effort that left Barça stunned.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Toby Davis)
