Barcelona on verge of La Liga title defense with win at Osasuna
PAMPLONA, Spain: Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres took Barcelona to the brink of the La Liga title with late goals to earn them a 2-1 win at Osasuna on Saturday. The Catalan giants moved 14 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid and will be crowned champions if their rivals drop points at Espanyol on Sunday. Lewandowski headed home after 81 minutes to break the deadlock, with Torres slotting in a second with four minutes to go. Osasuna pulled one back through Raul Garcia late on but Barca secured the three points to close in on a second consecutive league title and a 29th in the club’s history. If Real Madrid do defeat Espanyol, then Barcelona’s next opportunity to clinch the title will be in the Clasico against their arch-rivals on May 10. “We’ve put the pressure on Madrid because tomorrow, if they don’t win, then we really will be champions,” Torres told DAZN. “This is one of the toughest grounds in the league, where we knew that three points here were worth more than three points.” Barca coach Hansi Flick said it was a “huge” victory for his team. “We wanted to win here and it was a tough game, especially in the first half, we (did) much better in the second half,” Flick told DAZN. “I’m really happy for the team, for the club, for the fans.” Flick had said he would try and get his team to focus on this game, rather than the Clasico next weekend, but Barca’s first half was that of a team perched on a comfortable cushion and the feeling of having little at stake. Without the injured Lamine Yamal, Barca lose a lot of their dynamism, and although they had much the ball in the first half they found it hard to break down Osasuna to create clear chances. Roony Bardghji, on the right in place of the Spain