Barcelona cement Laliga lead after 10-man Osasuna comeback

Madrid: Barcelona extended their lead atop the LaLiga Santander standings to five points after downing Osasuna 2-1 last night, but it was anything but a straightforward result for Xavi's side, said the Spanish MARCA newspaper.

Down a goal and reduced to 10-men after Robert Lewandowski's sending off in the first half, Barcelona battled back thanks to goals by Pedri and Raphinha to head into the World Cup break on a high.

Xavi made just one change to the starting XI that dominated Almeria over the weekend, with Andreas Christensen stepping in for Gerard Pique, who began the final game of his career on the bench.