Raphinha struck twice in the final 20 minutes as Barcelona ground out a 2–0 victory over Osasuna on Saturday, extending their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points.
The Brazilian winger broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box before sealing the result late on, as Barca claimed a seventh successive league win despite an unconvincing overall performance.
Second-placed Real Madrid travel to Alaves on Sunday and can reduce the gap back to four points with a victory.
Barcelona were not at their fluent best but showed patience to wear down a well-organised Osasuna side. The win also brought a first clean sheet in six matches across all competitions and marked a fifth victory from five games at their partially reopened Camp Nou.
“It has a lot of merit,” defender Gerard Martin told Movistar. “They were very well organised and it was difficult to find a way through. With patience and possession, we finally managed it. A clean sheet gives the team stability — the goals will always come.”
Missed chances before the breakthrough
Ferran Torres, preferred to Robert Lewandowski after scoring a hat-trick against Real Betis last weekend, passed up an early chance when he lifted Lamine Yamal’s dangerous cross over the bar.
Osasuna threatened sporadically on the counter, with Ante Budimir forcing a routine save from Joan Garcia, while Yamal saw a couple of efforts pushed away in a frustrating first half for the hosts.
Torres thought he had given Barca the lead when he headed in Marcus Rashford’s cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up. The Spain international later sent an acrobatic overhead kick narrowly wide, while Garcia again denied Budimir shortly before the interval.
Raphinha makes the difference
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera tipped a Rashford free-kick to safety early in the second half as Barcelona continued to probe without finding an opening.
The breakthrough finally arrived when Pedri drifted forward and picked out Raphinha on the edge of the area. The Brazilian took one touch before driving a low shot into the bottom right corner.
Osasuna briefly thought they had levelled through Jorge Herrando, but the effort was disallowed after Alejandro Catena collided with Garcia in the build-up.
Barcelona wrapped up the points four minutes from time when Jules Kounde’s cross was deflected into Raphinha’s path, allowing him to tap in from close range for his second of the night.
Raphinha, who began the match in a more central attacking role, has made an immediate impact since returning from injury after being a key figure in last season’s domestic treble.
“We have many quality players,” Martin added. “Whether it’s Rapha or someone else playing inside, they give us plenty of solutions.”
