Madrid (AFP)
Barcelona, 2-0 winner of Osasuna 2-0 on Saturday in Pamplona for the 26th day of La Liga, has recovered four days before the knockout stages of the Champions League in Paris and on the eve of the election of its new president.
Spring is already here in Catalonia: in the wake of their feat against Sevilla on Wednesday in the Spanish Cup semi-final (3-0) and before the presidential election on Sunday, the Catalans have offered themselves a precious victory in Navarre thanks to a cannonball signed Jordi Alba, well served by his playing master Lionel Messi (30th), and a goal from young Ilaix Moriba at the end of the match (82nd).
A goal that allows the Blaugrana to temporarily return to two points behind the leader, Atlético Madrid (58 pts), which receives Real Madrid (3rd, 53 pts) on Sunday afternoon in the hot derby in the Spanish capital.
- Managers and young people -
Thanks to its executives and its young people, Barça confirmed their return to form, now well installed in the new system designed by Ronald Koeman in 3-5-2.
This time, it was Antoine Griezmann who accompanied Messi on the attack front in place of his compatriot Ousmane Dembélé (who entered the game at the break in place of Samuel Umtiti), after three matches started on the bench.
And "Grizi" assured: present in the defensive tasks and in the offensive construction, Griezmann narrowly missed an opportunity to open the scoring on a poorly framed header (26th).
Behind, it is the goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen who made the show: the German goalkeeper, who conceded four goals in the first leg against PSG in mid-February at Camp Nou (4-1), this time- Ci kept his clean sheet by multiplying the class rescues: a sprint back to catch the ball from the 2nd minute, a flight away from the hand in the 14th, and an iron fist on a close range strike from Ruben Garcia in the 34th .
And Moriba (18) even scored his first goal for his 5th game with Barça's first team, to give himself the right to celebrate by hugging his youthful idol, Lionel Messi.
- Seville tilts -
While the club is preparing to open a new page in its history over the next two months, with a new president on Sunday, an important poster against PSG on Wednesday in C1, then a clasico against Real Madrid and a Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao in April, the team comes back to life.
And the old glories, unrecognizable for several months, begin to regain their place before the final sprint ... without however managing to put more than two goals for the modest team of Osasuna.
Earlier in the day, Sevilla FC, fourth in Liga behind the trio of unbeatable with 48 pts, lost 2-1 on the lawn of promoted Elche.
The men of Julen Lopetegui, who had chosen to blow some executives before the trip to Dortmund in the round of 16 second leg of C1 on Tuesday, do not risk losing their qualifying place for the Champions League in the immediate future, given that Real Sociedad, which receives Levante on Sunday, is provisionally six points behind them.
Note also the short but precious 1-0 victory of the promoted Cadiz over Eibar in the race to maintain.
© 2021 AFP