Huesca 0-1 Barcelona: The visitors place fifth in La Liga after a narrow victory

A goal from Frenkie de Jong gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Huesca, elevating Ronald Koeman’s team to fifth place in La Liga.

Koeman had four defenses again after having used three in Barcelona’s last two league games, with Sergio Busquets returning to the starting lineup and Antoine Griezmann omitted once more.

Barça started the game with the lead and went ahead at 27 minutes when Frenkie de Jong got into the end of a Lionel Messi cross into the area to convert it into a muffled volley that beat Álvaro Fernández in the Huesca goal.

Ousmane Dembélé had opportunities to end the match, but Fernández thwarted him more than once before Huesca mounted a late comeback, without finding a draw. The result saw Barça get back on track to victory after their disappointing home draw against Eibar.

Dembélé, Messi and Pedri had chances to find the back of the net against Huesca, with Barcelona absolutely dominant in the first half. They almost had to pay for their waste when the Catalans ran out of energy in the last 10 minutes. This allowed Huesca to mount a late comeback. The hosts failed to find a draw, but Koeman must instill in his players a cruelty that is currently lacking. They have to finish the games faster.

It is certainly true that Dembélé could have taken more advantage of the opportunities that were presented to him against Huesca. Indeed, the Frenchman must work on his decision-making in the last third of the field, but his natural talent was on display here for all to see. This was a demonstration of what Dembélé offers Barcelona when he is fit and fit. He gives the Catalans something different and has caused Huesca problems at all times. On another night, Dembélé would have scored a couple of goals and assists.

Huesca – Fernandez 6, Pulido 6, Insua 5, Siovas 5, Galan 5, Mosquera 5, Mikel Rico 5, Seoane 5, Gomez 5, Mir 6, Ontiveros 6. Subs – Doumbia 4, Okazaki 4, Carlos 6, Ferreiro 5.

Barcelona – Ter Stegen 7, Dest 6, Araujo 5, Lenglet 6, Alba 7, Busquets 5, De Jong 7, Dembélé 8, Messi 8, Pedri 7, Braithwaite 6. Subs – Pjanic 5, Griezmann 4, Mingueza 3.

27 & # 39; GOAL! Huesca 0-1 Barcelona: That goal had been coming for a while! Messi throws the center into the area from the left side, De Jong timed his career well and the Dutchman guides a shot to the back of the Huesca net. Barcelona has the advantage that it guarantees its dominance.

41 ‘What a save! Messi must have thought he had found the back of the net with a free kick heading for the top corner, but Fernandez crosses to make a dive stop. What a stop!

58 & # 39; Great opportunity for a second! Dembélé reached the end of a ball into the left channel and lifted a short shot over Fernandez, but Siovas was back inside his own six-yard box to make a punt.

63 ‘Ter Stegen’s forced save! A good opportunity for Huesca to regain parity, but the Barça goalkeeper goes down well to make Mir’s save. He saw that too late too!

Lionel Messi made his 500th La Liga appearance with Barcelona, ​​becoming the first non-Spanish player to reach the milestone.

Frenkie de Jong has had a direct hand on three goals in his last five Barcelona appearances, just one less than his tally in his last 34 matches.