Barcelona’s perfect start to the season in La Liga came to an emphatic end with a 4-2 defeat at Osasuna.
Hansi Flick had won all of his first seven league matches in charge as Barcelona head coach — alongside a 2-1 defeat at Monaco in the Champions League — but his heavily-rotated team suffered a heavy defeat at Pamplona.
First half goals from Ante Budimir and Bryan Zaragoza put Osasuna in control, and while Pau Victor pulled a goal back eight minutes after the break, a penalty from Budimir and long-range strike from Abel Bretones took the game away from the visitors.
Ante Budimir scored twice as Osasuna convincingly defeated Barcelona (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Substitute Lamine Yamal — one of a host of regular starters who was rested from the start for this encounter — scored a consolation goal two minutes from time but it was not enough for the Spanish league leaders, who suffered their first domestic loss of the season.
“We have to accept the defeat,” Flick told Barca TV. “Today was not our best day. We had to make these changes. Many players had played a lot of minutes. It is my responsibility, I decided to do this. It is about me, not the players. They all gave 100 per cent and today was not our day.”
“There were some things about the referee that were not 100 per cent right, but at the end it is 4-2, we have to accept it, and we will go on. Everyone is on the right way and we will continue. It is an important match (in the Champions League, on Tuesday) against Young Boys. We will use the two days to prepare the team right. This is our job.”
Yamal and Raphinha were both second-half substitutes for Flick’s side, who were missing a host of injured players including Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Marc Bernal.
Second-placed Real Madrid (17 points) travel to Atletico Madrid (in third, on 15 points) on Sunday, with both teams looking to close the gap at the top of La Liga to Barcelona (21 points).
(Top image: Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
