Spanish La Liga: Barcelona Captain Carles Puyol Return Spoiled By Scoreless Draw with Osasuna
Spanish La Liga News - Carles Puyol suited up for Barcelona for the first time since a gruesome knee injury, but the captain expressed his disappointment following a scoreless draw with Osasuna on Sunday.
The 35-year old Puyol returned to action after a long layoff. However, his comeback didn't bode well for Barca, who saw their eight game winning streak to start the season end against Osasuna.
"These last couple of months have been complicated, but I've been training with the team for days," he told the club's official website. "I'm pleased with how I felt on the pitch, but not with the final result."
"We knew that this is a difficult stadium to play in, we weren't accurate in front of goal and our final touch wasn't precise," Puyol told ESPN FC following the draw.
Barcelona head coach Gerardo Martino decided to bench Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi in preparation for their upcoming UEFA Champions League showdown with AC Milan this week.
His decision to sit his best striker might have backfired a bit following the end of their hot run, but he is nevertheless happy to see his captain playing with no signs of pain on the pitch.
"Puyol played a great match, and hopefully he can play the rest of the season because he's important for us," he said. "We tried to win from the first minute, but in the end it wasn't meant to be. This is a difficult stadium to play in," Martino said.
"I'm pleased for the chance I was given, I'm aware that I'm playing for a big team and that I compete with [Dani] Alves, who's a beast, but I have to take advantage of my chances," he added.
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