Raphinha gave 10-man Barcelona a stunning 2-1 victory at Osasuna in LaLiga as the Blaugrana overcame the loss of Robert Lewandowski in the first half to extend their lead at the top to five points.
On Tuesday, Barca fell behind to a goal from David Garcia early on and were down a man when Lewandowski received a second caution for a careless foul on the goal scorer. Unused substitute Gerard Pique's Blaugrana career came to a screeching halt when he was also sent out for berating the referees at halftime, but Xavi's team rallied in the second half, starting with Pedri.
Raphinha came off the bench to nod in five minutes from time, grabbing a huge victory for Barca even though Osasuna appeared to be the more likely winners late on.
Osasuna took the lead after just six minutes, but David Garcia's goal was contentious as he headed in a corner from the right after Marcos Alonso appeared to be fouled. After 31 minutes, things got even worse for the Blaugrana as Lewandowski, who had already been cautioned for a first-half foul on Nacho Vidal, was sent off for engaging David Garcia in an aerial duel while raising his forearm.
Ferran Torres' conversion of Jordi Alba's cross was stopped by the offside flag, and Barca suffered a further setback when Pique was dismissed after a heated exchange with the referees during the half. Three minutes after the game resumed, Osasuna was unable to clear another Alba delivery, and Pedri scored the equalizer for the Blaugrana.
Through Kike Garcia's backheel, Osasuna came close to scoring a goal of their own, but they were denied by Raphinha, who tipped Frenkie de Jong's searching pass over Aitor Fernandez for a priceless victory.
WHY DOES THAT MATTER? BARCA REMAIN ON THE TOP OF THE TABLE FOR THE HOLIDAY
Due to the unusual structure of this season, Barcelona went into the game knowing that a win would give them the LaLiga title at Christmas, preventing rival Real Madrid from overtaking them before the World Cup break.
At El Sadar, Barca encountered a lot of difficulty, but they proved they have the tenacity needed for a title challenge by moving up to 37 points overall. With 40 points in both the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, they have accumulated that many points through their first 14 games of a LaLiga season, which is tied for third-highest total (also 37 in 2010-11).
ROBERT RARELY SEES RED.
Before the game on Tuesday, Lewandowski's first few months with Barcelona had been a resounding success. The 34-year-old had scored 13 goals, more than any other player in LaLiga.
On his 14th appearance in the league, the Poland striker was sent off at El Sadar, becoming the first player to be dismissed in the Spanish top division.
Prior to joining the Blaugrana, Lewandowski made 384 Bundesliga games and was only ever dismissed once, for Borussia Dortmund against Hamburg in February 2013.
PEDRI LEADS THE VISITORS' RESPONSE
Pedri always seemed the most likely to ignite Tuesday's game during a typically energetic Barcelona performance if the team was going to find a way to get back into it.
No adolescent midfielder has scored more frequently in Europe's top five leagues this season than Pedri, who has now scored three goals in LaLiga (Dortmund's Jude Bellingham has also scored three).
NEXT, WHAT?
On December 31, LaLiga resumed play with Barcelona hosting regional rival Espanyol. Around New Year's Eve, Osasuna will play because they are visiting Real Sociedad.
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