Barcelona crush Osasuna as Lionel Messi scores

Lionel Messi returned to the Barcelona lineup and made a poignant tribute to Diego Maradona as Ronald Koeman’s side claimed a comfortable 4-0 home win over Osasuna to rise up to seventh in La Liga.

Martin Braithwaite kept his place in the Barca lineup after impressing in the Champions League during the week, with Messi returning to the team having been rested for the win over Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine.

Barca took the lead after 30 minutes when Braithwaite bundled home a scrappy finish with his knee, with Messi resisting the temptation to produce his own ‘Hand of God’ moment on the goalline, moving his left hand out of the way.

Griezmann doubled Barcelona’s advantage in emphatic style just before the half time interval, lashing home a powerful strike on the full volley, giving Sergio Herrera no chance of making a save.

Philippe Coutinho added his name to the score sheet in the second half, finishing from close range before Messi lashed a left-footed finish into the back of the net after 73 minutes, revealing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt with the number 10 on the back in homage to Maradona.

His goal on the full volley at the end of the first half was the highlight of the match, with Griezmann smashing home a strike in a Paul Scholes-esque manner. This came after an impressive display against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League. Much has been said and written about Griezmann’s role in this Barcelona’s team since his move from Atletico Madrid two summers ago, but is this a sign that he is finally finding form for the Catalans? This was a good display from the forward.

This was Messi’s best performance for Barcelona so far this season, with the Argentine dangerous throughout. Messi started slowly but came on to a game in the second half, finding the back of the net with a stunning left-footed finish. The 33-year-old has played within himself so far this season, but this was a reminder of how he can light up a game with his brilliance. Barcelona need him to find this sort of performance level more frequently over the remainder of the campaign.

Barcelona - Ter Stegen 5, Dest 6, Mingueza 7, Lenglet 5, Alba 6, Pedri 6, De Jong 7, Coutinho 7, Griezmann 8, Messi, 9, Braithwaite 7. Subs - Trincao 6, Alena 6, Busquets 5, Firpo 3, Dembele 7.

Osasuna - Herrera 7, Roncaglia 5, Navas 5, Garcia 5, Vidal, 4 Jony 4, Oier 6, Perez 5, Moncayola 5, Budimir 6, Garcia 5. Subs - Torres 3, Barja 4, Brasanac 4, Cruz 3, Gallego 3.

11’ Cleared off the line! So close to being the opener for Barcelona! Griezmann rounded Herrera and cut back the pass for Coutinho. His shot was on target, but Garcia was back on the line to clear!

31’ GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Osasuna: Barcelona take the lead... or have they? There is a lot of confusion here. Coutinho's first shot is saved, then Braithwaite had a shot saved and then he knees the ball over the line. Was there a foul on the goalkeeper, though? Barca think they have opened the scoring. They have!

43’ GOAL! Barcelona 2-0 Osasuna: What a good finish from Griezmann and Barcelona have a two-goal lead! An Alba cross into the middle was partially cleared to the edge of the box and the French forward lashed home a superb finish on the full volley! The goalkeeper stood no chance!

69’ GOAL! Barcelona 3-0 Osasuna: There's the third goal for Barcelona and it's Dembele who adds his name to the score sheet with a very nice finish! Trincao was unselfish and played the pass to the Frenchman after good play by Messi. The Catalans are now out of sight.

73’ GOAL! Barcelona 4-0 Osasuna: What a brilliant goal from Messi, lashing home a finish with his left foot. The Argentine takes off his Barcelona shirt to reveal a Newell's Old Boys shirt with the number 10 on the back. What a tremendous tribute to Maradona. Brilliant stuff.

Antoine Griezmann has scored in back-to-back games for the first time as a Barcelona player.

Martin Braithwaite has been involved in four of Barcelona’s last six goals in all competitions (three goals, one assist).

Lionel Messi has scored or assisted in each one of the last 27 games in which Barcelona have scored four goals or more (in all competitions).