Sports Desk, Feb 1 (EFE).- Vitor Roque came off the bench to finally make his mark on Wednesday as Barcelona edged out Osasuna 1-0 to return to its winning ways in the Spanish LaLiga and breathe a sigh of relief.
Memphis Depay scored in the last minute of stipulated time to earn Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano and keep them above Barcelona on the table in third place on goal difference.
With 47 points, they still trail leaders Girona by eight points and second-placed Real Madrid by seven points.
Before the match, Xavi demanded some reaction from his players after announcing his post-season departure, only to be disappointed by their first-half performances.
Added to the woes was the injury of in-form striker Ferran Torres, who survived on the field for only a few minutes before leaving with obvious discomfort.
His replacement Fermin Lopez had an unremarkable presence on the field, prompting Xavi to withdraw him 15 minutes into the second half and bring in Brazilian teenager Roque, the only option left for him.
Roque was on goal within one minute of his arrival on the pitch after Joao Cancelo placed the ball at the near post for him to score with a powerful header – his first goal for Barcelona after playing 86 minutes spread over five games.
Roque then forced a foul that resulted in a double yellow card for Unai Garcia, leaving Osasuna to play the last 23 minutes with 10 men.
Barca, however, were unable to increase their lead but somehow managed to protect their goal against an opponent that lacked offensive bite.
At Metropolitan stadium, Atletico seemed headed for a draw. Antoine Griezmann invented a pass between two defenders 12 seconds into the 90th minute for Depay to score, helping the side earn three crucial points.
The match was heading nowhere until Reinildo Mandava, a starter for only the second game after almost a year following a ligament injury at the Santiago Bernabeu, scored with a header for Atletico in the 35th minute.
Alvaro Garcia controlled with his right and finished with his left from the edge of the area to bring the score level just before halftime.
With their LaLiga prospects fading fast, Griezmann and Depay combined to conjure up the last-minute win. EFE
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