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Sun Sep 29 05:58:52 UTC 2024: ## Osasuna Upsets Barcelona, Ending Their Perfect Start to LaLiga Season
**Pamplona, Spain** – Osasuna stunned LaLiga leaders Barcelona with a resounding 4-2 victory on Saturday, ending the Catalan giants’ perfect start to the season. The loss was Barcelona’s first of the campaign, halting their streak of seven consecutive wins.
Barcelona, heavily rotated by manager Hansi Flick ahead of a Champions League match, were undone by a brilliant performance from Osasuna, particularly from winger Bryan Zaragoza. Zaragoza, on loan from Bayern Munich, was instrumental in Osasuna’s opening two goals. He provided the assist for Ante Budimir’s first in the 18th minute and then slotted home a goal of his own 10 minutes later, finishing off a fine solo run.
Barcelona pulled one goal back through Pau Victor, but Budimir scored his second of the game from the penalty spot, putting Osasuna firmly in control. Abel Bretones added a sensational fourth goal before Lamine Yamal pulled one back for Barcelona in the closing stages.
Flick accepted responsibility for the defeat, stating that he had made a lot of changes due to the team’s busy schedule. “I think it was necessary. We had so many matches, a lot of players had so many minutes, I have to take care about that. This is my responsibility. If you want to blame someone for this defeat then take me.”
Barcelona’s midfield maestro Pedri acknowledged the team’s rotation as a factor, stating, “It’s normal there are rotations, there are a lot of games, it’s not an excuse,” but admitted that they “let in goals when we were at our best.”
Despite the loss, Barcelona remain at the top of the table, though their lead over second-place Real Madrid has been cut to four points. Real Madrid will aim to close the gap further on Sunday when they face third-placed Atletico Madrid in a derby clash.
Osasuna, meanwhile, climbed to sixth place in the table. Zaragoza expressed his delight with the victory, stating, “We knew Barca were an incredible team, they had won everything and we knew we had to get stuck into it, and that’s how we went out there.”
Other notable results from the weekend saw Real Sociedad defeat Valencia 3-0, Getafe earn their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Alaves, and Rayo Vallecano and Leganes draw 1-1.