Late Alba strike takes Barca to brink of title, Madrid slip up

Late alba strike takes barca to brink of title, madrid slip up0

On Tuesday, Jordi Alba scored the game-winning goal in the dying minutes of Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Osasuna, which moved the Catalans one step closer to winning their first La Liga championship since 2019. The team led by Xavi Hernandez moved 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, who are currently in second position after their 2-0 loss against Real Sociedad.

As the visitors sat back and tried to frustrate the home team Barcelona, they had their debutant Jorge Herrando sent off in the first half for a professional foul that he committed on Pedri.

In the second half, the goalkeeper for the away team, Aitor Fernandez, was able to hold the leaders at bay, but ultimately, a replacement player named Alba, who has seen little playing time this season, scored a late winner by slicing home a volley.

According to Xavi, “We’re Going to Wait and See, but It’s a Giant Step Forward,” but it is a step forward nonetheless. “We endured much too much pain. We blew some extremely obvious opportunities, the sort where you can just put the ball in the back of the net.And then Jordi scored, which, in certain cases, makes it even more satisfying to win in such a manner.

Osasuna’s coach, Jagoba Arrasate, used a significant amount of rotation in order to give his players some rest before Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid. On the other hand, Barcelona began the same team that defeated Real Betis over the weekend.

The Catalans were up against defensive opponents in the first half, and they were unable to create many good opportunities for themselves. Pedri had the finest opportunity to score when left back Alejandro Balde sent the ball to him just a few yards out from the goal, but he was unable to make a good connection with the ball and his shot went wide.

After Herrando brought down Pedri as he was running in on goal just before the half hour mark, Osasuna were reduced to playing with 10 men.

After 35 minutes, Xavi substituted Ansu Fati for Gavi, who looked to have been injured, and the striker came close to scoring at the beginning of the second half, but Fernandez was able to prevent him from doing so.

Frenkie de Jong had the opportunity to put Barcelona ahead, but when Pedri found him, he missed the goal by a wide margin, shooting straight at the goalie from six yards out. The irritation level of Barcelona’s players increased when Fernandez made another save from Fati and when replacement Ousmane Dembele missed his attempt from close range.

Robert Lewandowski, who leads the La Liga in scoring, endured another night without scoring any goals. When the Polish forward finally found the back of the net, the goal was disallowed because he was playing behind the ball.

The breakthrough finally came with five minutes left to play when replacement Alba volleyed home his second goal of the season after De Jong headed the ball into his path, which sparked exuberant celebrations. Alba’s goal was his second of the season overall. If Barcelona wins their remaining five matches and earns a total of 27 points, they will have won the league championship.

Takefusa Kubo, a former winger for Real Madrid, and Ander Barrenetxea both scored goals for Real Sociedad in their match against Los Blancos, helping Real Sociedad to strengthen their hold on fourth place and a position in the Champions League.

To make it even more difficult for Los Blancos, Madrid defender Dani Carvajal was sent off after an hour after receiving a second yellow card. Los Blancos will play Osasuna in the final of the Copa del Rey on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti, the head coach of Real Madrid, remarked that this was not the ideal approach to prepare for games. “Losing always stings; it dampens your momentum and the wonderful sentiments you have; as a result, experiencing loss is not the most effective approach to be ready for what’s to come.

There is clearly a lot more going on in the players’ thoughts than just the Copa final and the Champions League semi-finals, but they do have an influence.When your focus isn’t where it needs to be, you make mistakes that end up costing you.

The Italian coach fielded a patchwork team due to injuries and bans, and he also left striker Karim Benzema behind in the capital city of Madrid in front of Saturday’s cup final.

After Eder Militao gave the ball away in a potentially dangerous area, it was Kubo who scored the first goal of the second half for the home team. Carvajal was sent off after committing a foul on Real Sociedad striker Mikel Oyarzabal, which put Madrid in an extremely difficult position.

Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper for Real Madrid, did a good job of blocking a shot that was deflected by Barrenetxea, but he was unable to save the forward’s subsequent attempt, which surprised the Belgian at his near post.

If Atletico Madrid, now in third position, wins on Wednesday against Cadiz, they would move up to second place. Real Sociedad has a lead of eight points over Villarreal, who are currently in fifth position but have played one fewer game.

Following a loss to Almeria by a score of 2-1, Elche were demoted to the second division.

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