Barcelona edges Osasuna 1-0 in 1st match since coach Xavi announced his decision to leave
Wed, Jan 31, 2024
Soccer News (AP)
MADRID (AP) - With coach Xavi Hernandez still in charge, Barcelona got back on track with a 1-0 win over Osasuna in the Spanish league on Wednesday.
Young Brazil forward Vitor Roque scored his first goal since joining the club in Barcelona's first match since Xavi announced he will leave at the end of the season.
Xavi had made the announcement after a 5-3 home loss to Villarreal at home on Saturday, three days after Barcelona had been eliminated 4-2 by Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. He had hoped his announcement would lower the stress and tension surrounding both the team and himself.
But Barcelona still struggled at home against an opponent that played with 10 men from the 67th minute after defender Unai Garcia was sent off with a second yellow card for a foul on Vitor Roque, who scored in the 63rd. The 18-year-old forward, who arrived from Brazil's Atletico Paranaense this season, headed in a cross by Joao Cancelo about a minute after coming off the bench.
The match was postponed from earlier this month because of the teams' participation in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, where Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 in the final.
The victory moved Barcelona back within eight points of Spanish league leader Girona. Barcelona sits seven points behind Madrid, which can retake the lead if it wins at Getafe on Thursday in its postponed game because of the Super Cup.
Atletico Madrid hosts Rayo Vallecano later Wednesday.
Osasuna, which qualified for the Super Cup as the runner-up finisher in the Copa del Rey last season, had won two of its last three league games. It stayed 12th in the standings.
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