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Ousmane Dembele was back in the Barcelona starting XI against Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday, March 13 and certainly caught the eye for Xavi’s side at the Camp Nou.
The Frenchman produced a stunning assist to tee up Ferran Torres to make it 2-0 after just 21 minutes. Dembele’s exquisite pass found the forward running through on goal and able to slot the ball through goalkeeper Sergio Herrera’s legs.
Torres had opened the scoring for the hosts on 14 minutes from the penalty spot. The Catalan giants were awarded a spot-kick when 17-year-old midfielder Gavi was hauled down inside the penalty area.
Barcelona added a third just before the half-hour mark. Again it was Dembele who was the creator, crossing for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to beat Herrera at his near post.
Substitute Riqui Puig sealed the win with a fourth goal for the hosts after coming on as a substitute. The midfielder saw a low shot parried but followed up and showed great composure to round the goalkeeper and slot the ball into the net.
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Dembele Hitting Form in La Liga
The assists from Dembele continue his fine form in La Liga. The French forward now has five in his last four league games which is the most by any player in the Spanish top flight since the turn of the year, as shown by Opta.
The 24-year-old also equals teammate Jordi Alba when it comes to players with the most league assists for Barca in 2021-22. Both players now have seven each.
Dembele has only played six times in the league in 2022. The forward was dropped from the squad in January and told to leave but failed to find a move and was subsequently recalled after the transfer window had closed.
However, the 24-year-old is no longer guaranteed a place in the starting XI. The arrival of Adama Traore, Torres, and Aubameyang in January has made competition for places in the Barca attack fierce and appears to be bringing the best out of all of Xavi’s attackers.
Pique Hits Barcelona Landmark
Xavi had made changes to his starting XI for the match with Gavi and Dani Alves returning to the team. Eric Garcia started in central defence alongside Gerard Pique with Ronald Araujo on the bench.
The Uruguayan may have been left out with a view to next weekend’s Clasico against Real Madrid. Araujo has picked up four yellow cards already and one more will incur a one-match ban.
Pique’s selection saw the veteran make more history at the Camp Nou. The defender made his 600th appearance for the Catalans, only Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi have made more.
The center-back has won 410 of his 600 matches for Barcelona, playing in 116 draws and 73 defeats, and winning an impressive total of 30 titles during his Camp Nou career so far.
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