The Catalan vice-captain, the Spanish forward and the four-time Ballon d’Or winner played crucial roles in FC Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Osasuna this evening
Xavi Hernández:
Xavi Hernández pulled the strings for Barça in the midfield against Osasuna. The Catalan midfielder completed 96,6% of his attempted 87 passes, and he assisted Messi in Barça’s first goal and unlocked Osasuna’s defence – with a sublime ball behind the back four for Alves – in the lead up to Pedro’s go-ahead goal.
Overview of Xavi’s passes:
David Villa:
The forward returned to Barça’s starting line-up after two weeks of inactivity due to a hamstring injury. Villa, although he didn’t score, was a constant threat on the left wing. The forward shot on goal three times, defended, and provided a fantastic assist for Messi in the second half. More importantly, Villa did well to thin out Osasuna’s defence as his constant drifting in and out of the box on the left allowed for Pedro and Alves on take advantage of the space on the right side of the pitch.
Leo Messi:
202 goals in his La Liga career, 33 goals in La Liga this season, 4 goals against Osusuna this evening. Leo Messi is simply unstoppable. The numbers the Argentine puts up year after year are astonishing, but it’s nights like these that really showcase the drive Messi has to succeed. The four-time Ballon d’Or winner gave his side the lead on 10 minuets and doubled his team’s advantage before the break (3-1), in the second half he struck twice in as many minutes to finish off the scoring at the Camp Nou.