Raphinha gives 9-man Barca edge vs Osasuna

Madrid, November 9

With an improbable win, Barcelona made sure they will go into the World Cup break at the top of the La Liga standings.

Robert Lewandowski was shown his first red card in nearly a decade and Gerard Pique was sent off from the bench in his last career match, but Raphinha scored late as Barcelona rallied to defeat Osasuna 2-1 and secure the Spanish league lead ahead of the World Cup stoppage. Lewandowski’s second career red card came in the first half of Tuesday’s victory, which left the Catalan club five points ahead of Real Madrid. Madrid, who have a game in hand, were handed a shock 2-3 loss — their first league loss — at Rayo Vallecano on Monday. The defending champions will host Cadiz on Thursday. — AP