Perhaps the only way to succeed in football, or whatever, is to learn to survive.
Barcelona finally did it in a territory as brave as El Sadar, against a rival like Osasuna who took him to the limit, and frustrated before a referee who left him without Lewandowski.
But Xavi Hernández, despite spending half the night in inferiority, thought that it would be better to die on his feet than to live on his knees.
He brought out the coach to how many forwards he had, ordered a monumental De Jong to be the center-back, and saw how Raphinha confirmed the comeback after drawing a Vaseline with his head.
Football, damn it, goes so fast that even this Barcelona that chains martyrdoms arrives at the border crossing of the World Cup affirming its leadership in the League.
And that the departure of Barça was poor, without seeming to care too much that Osasuna's good fortune happened by tightening the rope in the pressure.
An oppressive atmosphere in which Sergio Busquets would once again undress his nightfall.
The historic midfielder was seen alone before the pack that saw him above.
And the consequences were serious.
After a pass from Balde, Busquets was unable to control a ball that ended up being the prelude to the corner with which the locals scored the first goal.
The blaugrana captain's regret was greater when he was unable to control David García's progress, before the monumental rojillo central defender reached the net with a header.
Although the action had crumb.
Ter Stegen had remained stopped before the ball took its domains.
The reason, the push that Unai García had given to Marcos Alonso before David García's header.
The Barcelona footballers went for Gil Manzano, the Barça's usual nemesis and who corrected nothing after attending to the VAR instructions.
The night continued along the same path for a long time, with Balde, from the right side, and Ferran Torres, from the extreme left, the only ones who insisted on bringing Barcelona closer to the rival area.
Meanwhile, Lewandowski's face was twisting.
There was no way that a ball could reach him in conditions.
And the referee had already shown him a yellow card after ten minutes, very rigorous and in his first foul by preventing Nacho Vidal from advancing.
It was decisive considering what happened next.
Because Lewandowski, without knowing it, had already left the game.
He chose to focus on David García, and not on the ball, and when he started the dispute he tried to make his arm hit the defender's neck.
The yellow, this one clear, led to his first red card in more than nine years.
And Gil Manzano could already add the head of the Pole to those of Luis Suárez, Neymar or Messi, whom he also expelled in his day.
The episode left an image for history.
Once the first act was over, just after Ferran Torres had a goal disallowed for being clearly offside, Gerard Piqué followed the path opposite to that of his teammates.
Embedded in his substitute parka, he went to meet Gil Manzano.
It was the last game of his career, so he had little to lose, he must have thought.
He also did not want to know anything about the referee's farewell tributes, who said goodbye to him with a red one and the hope of never seeing him again.
Barcelona condemned to play with one less footballer for an hour, there were footballers who did know how to step forward.
Like Frenkie de Jong, capable of covering as many holes between the lines that appeared.
Like Ferran Torres, who knew how to fight a duel against the central defenders after a cross from Jordi Alba.
And like Pedri, precise in the shot that took the game to the tables.
Xavi only needed to get on the bench.
He strongly demanded that the referee punish Lucas Torró with the second yellow card.
But the technician also did his job.
He got Gavi back for the cause.
He trusted De Jong's sanity and delicious foot, and waited for Raphinha, that Brazilian who felt so out of place, to finally have his day of glory.
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