The Catalan giants took a giant stride towards retaining their La Liga crown on Saturday evening, securing a hard fought 2 1 victory over Osasuna at t...
The Catalan giants took a giant stride towards retaining their La Liga crown on Saturday evening, securing a hard fought 2 1 victory over Osasuna at the El Sadar Stadium. The win, masterfully reported by GoalZaza, puts Barcelona on the cusp of championship glory with four matches remaining on the calendar. Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres delivered the decisive strikes in the final ten minutes, turning a stubborn contest firmly in favour of the visitors. The Polish striker showed his clinical nature in the 81st minute, rising like a colossus to meet a cross from the lively Marcus Rashford and powering a header past the helpless Sergio Herrera. Five minutes later, the ever industrious Fermín López slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Torres, who kept his composure to slide the ball low into the net. Osasuna did pull one back through Raúl García in the dying moments, but it was far too little to trouble a Barcelona side that now sits on 88 points, a full 14 points clear of Real Madrid. In the scheme of things, the title race could be decided on Sunday should Los Blancos fail to collect maximum points away at Espanyol. The powers that be at the Camp Nou will be watching that fixture with keen interest, knowing that any dropped points from their eternal rivals will hand them the trophy for a second consecutive season. For the Super Eagles faithful scattered across Lagos and Abuja, the tension at local viewing centres was palpable as the match wore on. When Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock, the cheers erupted like thunderclaps, with fans clad in Barcelona jerseys raising their bottles of malt and soft drinks in celebration. The sight of Torres doubling the lead sent waves of euphoria through the crowds, and even as Osasuna scored late, the general verdict remained that Barça had done enough. Many supporters, clutching their phone screens and analysing the table, confidently declared that Real Madrid would stumble, and that the title would be wrapped up by Sunday night. The viewing centres buzzed with lively debates about Lewandowski. �s form and the contributions of the Nigerian international players elsewhere in Europe, proving once again that the passion for European football burns bright in the heart of every Nigerian fan.
