Pamplona (Spain) (AFP) – Ansu Fati became the third youngest player to score in La Liga on Saturday but the 16-year-old could not rescue Barcelona from being held to a 2-2 draw away at newly-promoted Osasuna.
Fati equalised five minutes after coming on at half-time and Barca looked likely to complete the comeback when Arthur Melo, also on a substitute, made it two 13 minutes later at El Sadar Stadium.
Yet Roberto Torres, who had given Osasuna an early lead, delivered a twist by scoring a late second from the penalty spot after Gerard Pique handballed.
As Barcelona refuse to give up on their pursuit of Neymar before the transfer window closes on Monday, this was another reminder of the talent that already exists in their ranks.
Coach Ernesto Valverde appears ready to look to the future rather than the past, with Carles Perez, a 21-year-old product of La Masia, also providing two assists on his second consecutive start.
He should even have scored the winner but the concern will be that Barca needed Fati and Perez at all, even taking into account the injuries to Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
Antoine Griezmann put on a statement display in the win over Real Betis last weekend but he was quiet again here and it remains to be seen whether the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu feels negotiations for Neymar should now be pushed over the line.
Guillermo Amor, Barcelona’s director of institutional relations, told Movistar on Saturday the deal is not dead.
“The market closes soon but we still have a few days,” said Amor. “Nothing is done and we are waiting to see what can happen. Of course, something can happen at the last minute. We are calm.”
– Bad Barca –
Roberto Torres also came through the ranks at Osasuna and has more than 200 appearances for the club. His double means they are unbeaten from their first three games, having returned to the top flight for the first time since 2017.
Both teams stood for a minute’s silence before kick-off in a show of support for Luis Enrique, Barcelona’s former coach and player, whose daughter Xana died aged nine last week. Barca’s fans then chanted his name when the silence ended.
Barcelona started badly and got worse in the second half, the opening 45 minutes strewn with misplaced passes and lacking a single chance for the visitors.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2Lea1bR
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