Barcelona 2 - Osasuna 0

Barcelona: Arnau; Reiziger (Rivaldo 46'), Abelardo, Frank De Boer, Sergi; Xavi, Gerard (Cocu 75'); Simao, Luis Enrique, Overmars (Alfonso 88'); Kluivert. 4-2-3-1.
Osasuna: Nuno; Yanguas, Aitor Ocio, Cruchaga, Mateo, Iban Pérez; Oscar Arpón (Angel Luis 75'), Alex, Lekumberri (Iván Rosado 80'); Moha (Palacios 55'), Sabino. 5-3-2.

Team changes: Barça: Dutruel, Reiziger, Frank De Boer, Gerard, Overmars for Arnau, Puyol, Petit, Cocu, Rivaldo / Osasuna: Nuno, Iban Pérez, Moha for Sanzol, Alfonso, Armentano.

Goals:
1-0. 66. Kluivert. Shot across keeper from inside area after through ball by Gerard.
2-0. 93. Sergi. Took ball on break and shot from 47 yards as keeper came out.

Bottom club Osasuna let Barcelona off the hook in this match, with a performance which should have seen them well in the lead by half time. They surprised the Catalan side with attacking play right from the start, missing three clear cut chances in the first half hour with a Barcelona defence in disarray. Miguel Angel Lotina's side were wolves in sheep's clothing, lining up with a deceptive defensive 5-3-2 formation, with Nuno returning in goal and ex Barcelona B player Moha being given his first start of the season as his manager looked for a more effective strike force than Armentano and Rosado. The Moroccan was determined to make his presence felt on a pitch he had never played on in an official match, and he twice got free in front of goal but failed to find the mark. The worst miss though fell to Lekumberri, who shot over the bar from only three metres out with an open goal in front of him.

Barcelona's manager Lorenzo Serra Ferrer had decided to rest some of his key players for this match after beating Club Brugge on Thursday night in the UEFA cup, leaving Rivaldo on the bench for the first time alongside Cocu and Petit. However with the crowd getting on his back at half time he decided that he could not let Osasuna dominate the game, and he reverted back to the 3-2-3-2 formation he has used for most of the season, bringing on Rivaldo for Reiziger. Barcelona are a different side with the Brazilian in their ranks, and within a few minutes Kluivert sent a warning to his opponents with a header against the crossbar. Overmars and Rivaldo saw their efforts go wide before Kluivert finally put the Barcelona fans minds at rest, Gerard unlocking the Osasuna blockade with a through ball for the Dutch striker to turn past the keeper.

Barcelona were unable to add to their tally though until the very last minute of injury time, when with Osasuna throwing everyone forward, Sergi broke away on the left wing inside his own half. Nuno spotted the danger, and with no defender in sight, the keeper charged out of his penalty area to try and narrow the angle. Sergi let fly from just over halfway (measured at 47 metres out by the press), and the ball ran on past Nuno and in to the empty net. The result leaves Osasuna firmly anchored to the bottom of the table, a point behind Racing Santander, although their performance was so positive that the club president has offered Lotina another year's contract. He will have to find himself a goalscorer though, or he will be completing that year in the second division. Barça move up to sixth in the league and for the time being Serra Ferrer's job is safe, although the chances of him completing another year are remote. They have a week now to get their act together, with their only commitment a charity match against an all star eleven as part of the campaign against drugs. A minute's silence was observed before the match with Osasuna (and in most other grounds) in memory of Socialist politician Ernest Lluch, a lifelong Barcelona supporter who was assassinated by the Basque terrorist group ETA a few days ago.