Sports

Osasuna Dismantle Barca’s Perfect Liga Start

Published

6 months ago

September 29, 2024

Osasuna shattered La Liga leaders Barcelona’s perfect start to the season with an emphatic 4-2 victory on Saturday.

The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona as Ante Budimir scored a brace either side of Bryan Zaragoza’s strike.

Pau Victor had given Barca a lifeline to pull them back into the game before Budimir bagged his second from the penalty spot.

Abel Bretones added a sensational fourth from the edge of the box before Lamine Yamal pulled one back with a fine effort of his own.

Victory would have matched Barcelona’s best-ever start to a league campaign with eight consecutive wins, but they were not able to build on their four-point lead on second-place Real Madrid.

The Spanish champions visit Atletico Madrid, third, in a derby clash on Sunday.

“It’s normal there are rotations, there are a lot of games, it’s not an excuse,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told Movistar.

“In the second half, we deserved a bit more but we let in goals when we were at our best.”

Ahead of a Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday, Flick shuffled his pack.

The coach handed starts to defenders Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez as well as Pablo Torre in midfield and Victor in attack.

The coach rested Spain Euro 2024 starlet Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha among other regular picks.

As a result, Barcelona failed to ignite in the first half, and Osasuna winger Zaragoza took centre-stage.

Last season Zaragoza struck twice while playing for Granada in a 2-2 draw against Barca, a performance that helped earn him a move to Bayern Munich.

On loan from the German giants, Zaragoza created the opener for target-man Budimir with a fine cross, which the Croatian nodded home with ease in the 18th minute after escaping the attentions of Dominguez.

Zaragoza finished the second himself 10 minutes later after being sent through on goal, with the winger bypassing goalkeeper Inaki Pena with a fine ball roll and then slotting into the empty net.

Barcelona complained there had been a foul on Victor in the build-up but the referee waved their complaints away.

The leaders created little themselves, with the best opening falling to Ferran Torres. However, the Spanish winger miscontrolled on the edge of the box and was quickly swallowed up by the Osasuna defence.

Reinforcements

Yamal, Raphinha, and Ansu Fati warmed up at half-time, with Barcelona needing to turn to their stars to mount a comeback.

Before Flick had time to send them on, Victor pulled Barcelona back into the game.

Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera gave the ball away with a poor throw, intercepted by Martin, who fed Victor.

The forward took an early shot from distance which Herrera, who slipped as he made it back to his goal, should have kept out but could not.

Flick took off top scorer Robert Lewandowski, largely uninvolved, with 20 minutes remaining and moved Torres into the middle to fill the gap.

However, Osasuna almost immediately stretched their lead when 19-year-old centre-back Dominguez scythed down Budimir in the area as he went to shoot.

The striker buried the penalty with a low effort hit hard enough to beat Pena although he dived the right way.

Ruben Pena wasted a glorious chance to grab a fourth as he ran in on goal but was caught in two minds whether to pass or shoot, and Eric Garcia charged back to dispossess him as he dawdled.

Bretones, on the other hand, was lethal from the edge of the box when he won the ball back and powered an effort past Barca goalkeeper Pena.

Yamal hit back brilliantly from range and teed up Torres who struck the post, but it was too little, too late.

Osasuna rose to sixth and Zaragoza said his team had been determined to beat the leaders.

“We knew Barca were an incredible team, they had won everything and we knew we had to get stuck into it, and that’s how we went out there,” explained the winger.

“It’s a special game and really nice to play in.”

AFP

Sports

Real Madrid keeping tabs on Victor Osimhen

Published

6 hours ago

April 8, 2025

ADMIN

Spanish giants Real Madrid are reportedly keeping tabs on Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen as they consider potential additions ahead of the summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old forward, currently enjoying a prolific loan spell at Galatasaray, has been in fine form this season, notching 28 goals and providing five assists in 32 matches across all competitions.

Although Osimhen remains under contract with Serie A side Napoli, his future appears uncertain, and a permanent departure from the Italian club is expected in the coming months.

While Manchester United have long been linked with the Super Eagles star, Spanish outlet Fichajes claims that Real Madrid are now exploring the option of bringing him to the Bernabéu. The club reportedly views him as a possible replacement should Vinicius Junior make a surprise move to Saudi Arabia, where he continues to attract interest.

Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in 2020 and has since established himself as one of Europe’s top attacking talents, scoring 76 goals and assisting 12 times in 133 games for the Italian side. His blend of pace, power, and finishing ability has earned him admiration across top European leagues.

Real Madrid’s potential bid adds to growing interest from Premier League clubs and teams in Saudi Arabia, as Osimhen’s release clause — reportedly set at €75 million — puts his signature well within reach for Europe’s elite.

As the summer window approaches, the race to land the Nigerian marksman is expected to intensify.

Sports

EPL: Southampton relegated in record time after Tottenham defeat

Published

2 days ago

April 7, 2025

Admin

Southampton were relegated from the Premier League in record-setting time after a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday ended their brief stay in the top-flight.

Brennan Johnson struck twice in the first half and Mateus Fernandes’s late reply was too late to stop bottom of the table Southampton crashing back to the Championship.

Beaten for the 25th time in 31 games, Southampton are the first Premier League team to be relegated with seven matches still to play.

Ipswich and Derby were relegated with six games left in 1994-95 and 2007-08, respectively.

Ivan Juric’s side are also still one shy of matching Derby’s 2007-08 record low Premier League total points of 11.

Juric, whose team are without a win in their last seven league matches, admitted this week that avoiding the record low points tally is Southampton’s only target for the rest of their dismal season.

Southampton were pushed to the brink of relegation when fourth-bottom Wolves came from behind to beat Ipswich 2-1 on Saturday, leaving Saints 22 points from safety.

Their slide down to the second tier was confirmed 315 days after they clinched promotion by beating Leeds in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Russell Martin was architect of Southampton’s success in the Championship with an attacking approach, but his insistence on sticking to those tactics backfired badly in the top flight.

Martin was sacked in December after a 5-0 defeat against Tottenham left Southampton bottom of the table with just five points from 16 games.

Former Roma boss Juric was hired to replace Martin on an 18-month contract, but the Croatian was unable to save Southampton from going down with a whimper.

– No reprieve –

Tottenham have been in turmoil themselves for much of the season, with fan protests against chairman Daniel Ley before and during the game underlining the depth of the problems in north London.

But under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou, who was jeered by Tottenham fans during Thursday’s defeat at Chelsea, earned a little breathing space at Southampton’s expense.

Trying to avoid their lowest finish since 1993-94 — when they came 15th — Tottenham’s first win in five league games lifted them to 13th place.

It was a much-needed boost before their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

Postecoglou’s men took the lead in the 13th minute when Johnson fired into the roof of the net from Djed Spence’s cut-back for his 15th goal in all competitions this season.

That spelt doom for Southampton, who haven’t won a single league game this season after conceding the opening goal.

Lucas Bergvall’s close-range finish was disallowed for offside after the kind of protracted VAR check that has driven Postecoglou to claim the system is “killing the game”.

It was only a temporary reprieve as Wales forward Johnson doubled Tottenham’s advantage with a composed finish from James Maddison’s header in the 42nd minute.

Despite their team’s predicament, Southampton fans packed into one corner of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hadn’t lost their sense of humour, chanting “Que sera, sera… we’re going to Coventry” as the clock ticked down on their stay in the top tier.

In a moment of quality at odds with their woeful campaign, Fernandes chested down and fired past Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario in the 90th minute.

There was no late comeback as Wellington fouled Johnson and Mathys Tel converted the penalty to confirm Southampton’s demise.

AFP