First Team 13 Dec 2025

Alessio Lisci: ‘I Can’t Fault Any Player’  

The Italian coach said he had no complaints about his players after Osasuna’s 2-0 loss to Barcelona

Speaking at a postgame news conference, Osasuna head coach Alessio Lisci said the difference was finishing chances against a team of Barcelona’s level.

“We lacked that final touch — when you get chances, you have to take them,” Lisci said. “It’s not easy, and I’m not criticizing the team. They played a great match and did almost everything I asked. I can’t reproach any player. Against Barcelona, you know that the few chances they get can go in, and the ones you get, you have to convert.”

Lisci said Osasuna executed the game plan and limited Barcelona for long stretches.

“For us, exposing ourselves here is difficult,” he said. “We played the match we needed to play. Given what it means to play here, we were suffering very little. Of course they create chances, but in transition we had potentially dangerous situations. We lacked a bit more with the ball, but we could have taken points. The match was where we wanted it to be, and it’s a shame the goal came from a situation we had worked on a lot.”

Asked about the disallowed goal by defender Jorge Herrando — ruled out for an alleged foul by defender Alejandro Catena on goalkeeper Joan Garcia after Catena was unbalanced by defender Eric Garcia — Lisci said he wanted to see more replays.

“I’d like to see it with other angles because we didn’t get many replays on TV,” he said. “I don’t fully know the interpretation of the rule because Catena doesn’t fall on his own — he trips after contact with Eric Garcia’s legs. If what Catena does is a foul on the goalkeeper and it’s unintentional, then the earlier action is also a foul. So either both are fouls or neither is. In that case, it’s a penalty. That’s what I don’t understand.”

Lisci added that he was unsure whether the rules addressed such an unusual situation.

“For me, it’s either both or neither,” he said. “In fact, the referee initially did well by letting play continue. I don’t understand why VAR didn’t intervene afterward. Maybe the rules say something different. I’ll ask, and maybe I’ll get an answer.”

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