Osasuna stuns Barcelona 4-2 and stops it from tying club record for best season start

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Bryan Zaragoza scored one goal and set up another to spark Osasuna's stunning 4-2 win over Barcelona on Saturday, dealing the Spanish league leader its first loss.

The lightning-fast forward on loan from Bayern Munich crossed for Ante Budimir to open the scoring in the 17th minute. Zaragoza then showed some fancy high-speed dribbling to round goalkeeper Iñaki Peña on the break for 2-0 in the 28th.

Barcelona was playing with three youth players and one, Pau Víctor, pulled one back for the visitors in the 53rd, but Budimir earned and converted a penalty to put the result beyond doubt in the 72nd. Osasuna's Abel Bretones made it 4-1 in the 85th and substitute Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona's second goal.

Barcelona recorded wins in the first seven rounds. An eighth victory would have equaled a club record established in 2013. Barcelona lost its opener in the Champions League 2-1 at Monaco last week.

“It hurts. We wanted to make it eight of eight, but we didn’t play our best game,” said Barcelona forward Ferran Torres, who hit the post late.

Barcelona remained atop the league at four points ahead of Real Madrid before the defending champion visits Atletico Madrid in a derby on Sunday. Osasuna moved into sixth place and stayed unbeaten in Pamplona in this campaign with four wins and a draw.

Zaragoza stunned Barcelona when he cut back from the left corner to open space before whipping in an in-swinging cross past marker Jules Koundé. Budimir did the rest by shouldering Pau Cubarsí out of the way and thumping his header off the turf and beyond the reach of Peña.

It was soon 2-0 when Osasuna recovered the ball midfield and Pablo Ibánez immediately launched Zaragoza on a quick attack with a long pass that played him clear behind the defensive line.

Zaragoza showed why Bayern signed him by feinting a shot before performing a rollover while at full speed to glide past Peña and poke the ball home.

“We had to go out there to bite,” Zaragoza said.

He enjoyed a breakout 2022-23 season at Granada where he scored 11 goals before he was signed by Bayern on a contract through 2029. But after only seven appearances for the German powerhouse, it sent him to Osasuna to gain playing time. His goal against Barcelona was his first since his return to La Liga.

Facing a third league game in a week, Hansi Flick rotated his lineup by leaving Yamal, Raphinha, Íñigo Martínez and Alejandro Balde on the bench. In their place, Flick once again dipped into Barcelona’s youth squad and gave starts to 19-year-old Sergi Dominguez and 22-year-olds Víctor and Gerard Martín.

But a backline with Martín and Domínguez and the 17-year-old Cubarsí, and anchored by Peña making his second start in place of the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen, was not up to the pressure of El Sadar.

“It is normal that we have rotations, we play lots of games,” Barcelona’s Pedri González said. “It It can’t be an excuse. The 11 of us had to go out there ready to play, but the halftime score was too much.”

Next for Barcelona is Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Colombia midfielder James Rodríguez made his first start since he joined Rayo Vallecano, in a 1-1 draw with Leganes.

Real Sociedad beat Valencia 3-0. Getafe beat Alaves 2-0 at home.

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Barcelona's Lamine Yamal reacts at the end of a Spanish La Liga soccer match after loosing against Osasuna at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Pedri reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Pedri reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal reacts at the end of a Spanish La Liga soccer match after loosing against Osasuna at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Osasuna's Bryan Zaragoza scores his side's second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Alejandro Balde fights for the ball against Osasuna's Juan Cruz during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick sits at the bench during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi fights for the ball against Osasuna's Enzo Boyomo during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Osasuna's Ante Budimir scores his side's third goal from a penalty kick during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Barcelona's Pablo Torre is tacked by Osasuna's Lucas Torro during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Osasuna's goalkeeper Sergio Herrera reacts during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Osasuna's Bryan Zaragoza fights for the ball against Barcelona's Jules Kounde during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Osasuna's Bryan Zaragoza scores his side's second goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.

Nottingham is up to third after ending Brentford's unbeaten home record with a 2-0 win, and Newcastle routed Ipswich 4-0. West Ham drew 1-1 with Brighton.

City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in ’19-20, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in ’16-17 and City finished third in the standings.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa.Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.

Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Foden’s goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Newcastle United's Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, centre right, shoots on target during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, right, celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)