Rafinha’s brace helped Barcelona defeat Osasuna and extend their lead over leaders Real Madrid to seven points.
Published December 14, 2025
On Saturday, Barcelona extended their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points with a hard-fought 2-0 win against tenacious Osasuna, with Rafinha scoring twice late in the second half.
Hansi Flick’s side currently have 43 points, comfortably clear of second-placed Real Madrid. Real Madrid still have a game left and will face Alaves on Sunday.
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Barcelona dominated from the start, enjoying an impressive 80% possession and had 24 shots on goal compared to Osasuna’s just three.
However, the visiting team’s disciplined five-man defense and a number of excellent saves from goalkeeper Sergio Herrera frustrated the home side for much of the match.
The Catalans thought they had broken the deadlock in the 23rd minute when Ferran Torres looped in a header from Marcus Rashford’s cross from a short corner.
However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out due to a slight offside in the build-up.
The best chance of the first half came in the 40th minute, when teenager Lamine Yamal ran up the right flank and fed Torres with a pinpoint cross. The striker fired a bold overhead kick, but the ball went wide of the far post.
Osasuna’s resilient back five remained solid as Barcelona swarmed forward in the second half, with Rashford testing Herrera’s acrobatics from a free-kick just after the interval.
Yamal was a constant threat on the right flank, attacking defenders with vigor, but the visiting team absorbed a flurry of pressure.
Barcelona finally broke through Osasuna’s deep defensive block in the 70th minute as Pedri’s sharp pass sliced through the visitors’ defence, and Rafinha gained momentum.
The Brazilian forward used a controlled touch to fire a powerful shot from the edge of the area, and the ball curled inside the left post.
Rafinha sealed the victory in the 86th minute. After a cross from Jules Kounde was deflected on the right, the Brazilian was free at the far post and calmly volleyed the ball into an empty net, giving the scoreline some breathing room.
“(Osasuna’s action) deserves a lot of credit, because they were very compact and we struggled to break them down,” Barça defender Gerard Martin told Movistar Plus. “But we knew that with patience and possession, goals would come and we finally found them.”
