Osasuna’s Manager Lashes Out at Lewandowski As Late Penalty Secures Barcelona Win

• Barcelona secured a dodgy victory against Osasuna
• A controversial refereeing decision clouded the win for the Spanish giants
• Osasuna’s manager has reacted to the late refereeing call that cost his side a point

Barcelona’s La Liga games continue to be shadowed by controversial refereeing decisions, and the most recent victory against Osasuna produced another debacle.

Having been at the receiving end of relatively unjust decisions in their season opener away at Getafe and last weekend at Villarreal, Xavi Hernandez’s side appear to have the tides turned for them, as a late decision by referee Miguel Ortiz was responsible for the Blaugrana recording their third win of the new season.

The Spanish referee awarded a late penalty to Barcelona which saw them coast safely to a 2-1 win away at El Sadar.

The 38-year-old awarded a penalty to Barcelona in the 85th minute for a soft tackle by defender Alejandro Catena on Robert Lewandowski. It has left many at Pamplona club Osasuna displeased, including coach Jagoba Arrasate, who has lashed out at the striker’s decision to fall under the soft tackle.

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Arrasate lashes out at Lewandowski

The 45-year-old recently guided Osasuna to a UEFA competition for the first time in the club’s history. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said:

"We are always in the same degree of intensity. Is that enough for Lewandowski to fall down like that? For me, it’s not a penalty or a red card.

"It’s an instinctive gesture. I don’t think it’s enough to call a penalty."

The La Liga manager also spoke about his team’s performance against the defending champions.

"I think we played a great game. The pity is that we have do not have the reward that I think we could have received going into the league break.

"The last play before the break does a lot of damage since."

However, according to Football Espana, Barcelona coach Xavi took little time to dwell on the talks surrounding his player as he instead defended Lewandowski, stating that the expectations demanded of the forward by the club are too high.

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Lewandowski blasts La Liga referees

In another report, Sports Brief stated that Robert Lewandowski has criticised the standard of officiating in Spanish football, joining several other superstars who have blasted referees in La Liga over poor officiating.

The 34-year-old forward led Barcelona to the La Liga title last season but was appalled by the level of officiating, which he admits has made the Spanish topflight unattractive.