Barcelona’s last game before the long break due to the world championship in Qatar in Pamplona had a special charge. The home team caught the La Liga leaders by surprise in the sixth minute with a goal by David Garcia after a corner kick, which the visiting team unsuccessfully claimed due to an alleged foul on Marcos Alonso. And after half an hour of play, Barca fans went into a second swoon when striker Robert Lewandovski saw a second yellow card and went to the showers after an aerial duel with a successful Osasuna striker, in which he played a significant role in the elbow.
And it was the exclusion of the key forward that totally lifted Piqué. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano obviously has a knack for Barcelona stars and in the recent past sent Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez off the field prematurely. Which, of course, the legendary stopper remembers well, and during the half-time break he had his say on the referee.
According to the Marca newspaper, the referee noted in the minutes after the match that he heard “Did you see what he whistled for the corner? You are the referee who screwed us the most. It’s a fucking shame to shit on your fucking mother.” For Barcelona fans, however, Piqué’s borderline sane reaction was proof that the icon is acting like a true member of the club’s future leadership.
In the second half and with ten men, the Catalan club turned the unfavorable development of the duel around and after a 2:1 win secured the lead in the table before the one-month break regardless of the result of Thursday’s match between Real Madrid and Cádiz.
Piqué himself probably imagined the last duel in his career differently, but he will still remember Saturday’s performance against Almeria, when the stomping Camp Nou prepared a touching farewell for him on home soil.
