Barcelona's reign in jeopardy after Osasuna defeat

By Duncan Shaw Feb 11, 2012, 23:05 GMT

Madrid - Barcelona's reign as Spanish champions was put in jeopardy on Saturday by a 3-2 meltdown at lively Osasuna.

The shock defeat leaves the world champions seven points behind runaway leaders Real Madrid, who will go 10 points clear if they manage to beat fourth-placed Levante at home on Sunday.

It was Barca's second league defeat. They have dropped 16 points on their travels this season. They looked tired mentally and physically, as a result of their cup exertions on Wednesday against Valencia.

Coach Pep Guardiola said: 'In the first half, we hardly touched the ball. We did better in the second half, but this was a painful defeat.'

He refused to use the frozen pitch as an excuse, and finished by saying: 'The league is even more difficult for us now, but we just have to carry on until the end of the season.'

In wintry Pamplona, Serbian striker Dejan Lekic took advantage of Barca's lethargy to give Osasuna a 2-0 lead by half-time.

Alexis Sanchez pulled a goal back for the visitors straight after the interval, only for Raul Garcia to make it 3-1 for Osasuna. Young winger Cristian Tello pulled a second goal back for Barca, but Osasuna managed to hold on despite a late, weary assault from the champions.

The defeat will put Barca in poor heart ahead of Tuesday's visit to Bayer Leverkusen, in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Saturday's late game was a late 2-1 home win for Betis against Athletic Bilbao, who fell down to eighth.

The same as Barcelona - who will be their opponents in the cup final - Bilbao looked fatigued after their midweek cup efforts.

Ruben Castro gave Betis an early lead, only for Spain midfielder Javi Martinez to level for Bilbao.

But Betis dominated the second half, and right-back Nelson gave them a well-deserved win by making it 2-1 with a low drive in injury-time.

The last-gasp win took Betis up to 12th, well above the danger zone.

Earlier on Saturday, Atletico Madrid could only manage a 0-0 draw at lowly Racing Santander on Saturday, a result which leaves them in sixth place in La Liga.

Atletico dominated from start to finish in chilly Santander, with the hosts content to sit back and play on the break.

Time and again, Radamel Falcao and company were foiled by Santander keeper Tono, who turned in a stellar display.

Atletico have not lost since Diego Simeone took over as coach at Christmas, and have not conceded a single goal in six games. They are now one point behind fifth-placed Espanyol but one ahead of Athletic Bilbao.

Santander, for their part, are fourth from bottom.

Simeone said afterwards: 'We worked very hard tonight, but we were not very sharp in front of goal. In addition, Tono gave a memorable performance.'