Alba rescues Barca vs. 10-man Osasuna as they trudge towards LaLiga title

Barcelona continued their march towards the LaLiga title on Sunday evening, as Jordi Alba scored a late equaliser to rescue a point against 10-man Osasuna at the Estadio El Sadar.

The hosts looked set to pull off a shock defeat after veteran midfielder Oier picked up two quick-fire yellow cards to reduce them to 10-men. However, Barcelona’s ever-reliable left-back came to the rescue in the 90th minute to secure a 1-1 draw.

The home side had taken a surprise lead just past the half-hour mark, when Ruben Garcia put them ahead with a superb half-volley. It sparked a defensive effort from the visitors, who soon thereafter saw the chances of victory drastically reduced when Oier was ordered off in the 58th minute.

Barcelona, who had dominated possession up until then, struggled to find the back of the net for the majority of the match but were not out of the game until a few minutes from the end when Alba fired in a shot from inside the area.

The draw was enough to extend Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table. With just one more game to go against Eibar, they now lead Real Madrid by four points and look set to lift the title for the first time since 2017.

The draw was also the perfect way to end a week of nervy performances for Barcelona, who had started off last Sunday evening with a 1-0 win over first rivals Atletico Madrid before labouring to two 1-1 draws with Real Betis and Osasuna.

Barca face Eibar next weekend in the final round of LaLiga fixtures. If they manage to bag all three points, they will seal the title and set up their first piece of silverware of the season.