Budimir’s Brace Powers Osasuna to a Shocking Victory Over Barcelona

Croatian forward Ante Budimir netted a brace as Osasuna made off with a surprise 4-2 home win over leaders Barcelona to hand the visitors their first defeat of the LaLiga season on Saturday.

Barca manager Hansi Flick dropped regular starts Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Inigo Martinez to the bench with an eye on Tuesday’s Champions League match against Young Boys. Osasuna, roared on by a sold-out El Sadar Stadium, started aggressively.

They pressed high relentlessly and threatened with quick counter-attacks that hurt their much-changed rivals.

On-loan Bryan Zaragoza from Bayern Munich crossed to Budimir who gave the opening goal with a close-range header in the 18th minute, and the 23-year-old winger extended Osasuna’s lead with a strike from a quick counter-attack 10 minutes later.

Barca reduced the deficit thanks to a massive howler from Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera, who failed to keep out a weak strike by Pau Victor on the 53rd minute, but Budimir extended the hosts’ lead from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute after he had been fouled inside the box.

Substitute Abel Bretones scored the fourth with a brilliant long-range strike in the 83rd minute, before then substitute Yamal scored Barca’s second with a shot from the edge of the box in the 89th.

Barca top the standings on 21 points, four ahead second-placed Real Madrid- who have a game in hand and face local rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Osasuna are sixth on 14 points.

“We knew that Barcelona were tough opposition that had won everything, and we needed to go out there and bite,” Zaragoza told Movistar Plus.

“It is a unique and wonderful game to play against Barca, and I could stay all night here celebrating with the fans.”

Pacey Zaragoza was a constant menace running up and down the left channel.

He first dribbled past Jules Kounde, then crossed for Budimir to head in the opener, before showing great technique to round the goalkeeper and tap into an empty net for the second.

Barcelona clearly dominated possession, but looked out of ideas upfront until late in the second half when Flick brought Yamal and Raphinha off the bench for a double error from Herrera, which helped them reduce the deficit.

First, the Osasunakeeper rolled the ball out to a Barca player, then could not get back to keep out Victor’s tame strike from the edge of the box that slipped through his hands and into the net. Barca started to create more openings, but were often exposed on the counter, one of which led to Osasuna’s third.

Zaragoza recovered the ball and fired a long pass through that Jesus Areso took in his stride, sending a low cross to Budimir, who was then tackled from behind by defender Sergi Dominguez to concede a penalty in the 71st minute that he dispatched.

Bretones performed well to take the sting out of the game, but after Yamal scored the visitors’ second with a fine curling strike, Barca pushed for another with Ferran Torres hitting the post in added time, but it was too little too late.