Teenager Ilaix Moriba scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 2-0 win for Ronald Koeman’s team at Osasuna on Saturday, reducing the gap for La Liga leader Atlético de Madrid to two points.
Report: Barça closes gap at Atlético with victory against Osasuna
In just his fifth game for the club, Ilaix, 18, scored from the edge of the area seven minutes from time after Lionel Messi’s assist. Jordi Alba opened the scoring in the first half, kicking from the left of the area after Messi played for him.
Barça was also indebted to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who made a series of good saves by extending unbeaten league ties to 16 games.
Positives
Ilaix, a graduate of the academy, provided the well-being factor while Barça maintained their impressive form in the league. Koeman showed a lot of faith in him over the past week, and played him with the game in balance, with 1 to 0 with 25 minutes to go. He showed no signs of nervousness when he cut his man before making a good submission to close the points for Barça at El Sadar, the same field where Ansu Fati scored his first goal for the Catalan club.
The three points were particularly important in the context of midweek recovery against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semifinal. It would have been easy to fall after that high, while increasing pressure on leader Atlético, who face third-placed Real Madrid at Derby on Sunday.
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Negatives
The score favored Barça, who needed great saves from Ter Stegen to keep him in front. On another night, they could easily have lost points. Alba was also taken out late with a hit. Barça hopes it will be nothing due to its recent form.
Manager rating out of 10
7 – Koeman deserves a lot of credit for giving Ilaix a streak of minutes in big games.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes receive no rating)
GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 8 – He made several impressive saves. The stops to deny Kike Barja and Ruben Garcia were probably the highlights.
DF Clement Lenglet, 7 – Perhaps his best performance in 2021. He fought well against Osasuna’s attackers and was confident in possession.
DF Samuel Umtiti, 5 – Marked for hitting Roberto Torres in a dangerous area, although Lenglet’s pass sold him less. Take off at break.
DF Oscar Mingueza, 7 – Another mature performance as part of a three-quarterback in the first half and as one of the two central defenders after the break.
MF Sergio Busquets, 6 – It came out after an hour after another solid showing in the middle. It performs better with the protection of three central defenders.
MF Pedri, 7 – He rarely made a mistake with the ball at his feet. He almost scored, but his 18-meter shot was very close to Sergio Herrera.
MF Frenkie de Jong, 7 – Once again, the Dutch international did not stop running. He fell back when Busquets came out to build Barça’s attacks from deeper.
MF Jordi Alba, 8 – He scored his fifth goal in the campaign, equaling the highest total in his history in the 2012-13 season. He is in great form in attack, where he benefits from a great relationship with Messi, but he is also covering well in defense.
MF Sergino Dest, 6 – He was in good positions on the right and had his marker beat, but he hesitated when it came to the final ball.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 6 – He returned to the team after three games on the bench, but was unable to defend a more regular football.
FW Lionel Messi, 8 – He scored both goals and all Barça’s attacks went through him, although his teammates’ insistence on looking for him is often an obstacle.
Substitutes
FW Ousmane Dembele, 6 – He entered the interval, but he lacked the vanguard in the final third.
MF Ilaix Moriba, 7 – He added some renewed energy to the midfield on a night he will never forget.
FW Martin Braithwaite, 6 – He worked hard after joining Griezmann, but he had no luck in the area.
MF Riqui Puig, N / R – Pedri replaced after Ilaix’s goal.
DF Junior Firpo, N / R – Given the final minutes as a left-back.