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Madrid. Subzero temperatures and poor defending cost Barcelona as the defending Spanish champion’s league hopes took a big hit with a 3-2 loss at Osasuna on Saturday.

Barcelona, already trailing leader Real Madrid by seven points, found itself in a 2-0 hole after 22 minutes as Osasuna striker Dejan Lekic took advantage of poor defending for a quick brace.

Barcelona hasn’t come back from a two-goal halftime deficit to win in 50 years, but Alexis Sanchez provided hope with a 51st-minute strike.

Raul Garcia re-established Osasuna’s two-goal advantage five minutes later, with Barcelona’s rally ending at Cristian Tello’s 73rd-minute strike.

It looked to have equalized through Sanchez’s second goal in the 82nd, but the striker was ruled offside despite TV replays indicating the contrary.

Madrid can stretch its lead over Barcelona to 10 points with a home win over Levante on Sunday. The Spanish leader has lost only once in its last 25 games, discounting its recent matchups with Barcelona.

“Of course this makes [the league] more difficult, but these things happen,” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said after the loss to an opponent his team had beaten five straight times by a combined 19-0 score going in.

“The reality is we trail by a notable amount and on Sunday I imagine that will grow, but we have to keep going until the end of the season.”

The Catalan coach preferred not to risk Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez or Cesc Fabregas on the frozen field with a Champions League last 16 match at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. Instead, Thiago Alcantara and Sergio Roberto started in midfield, although it was in defense where Barcelona struggled.

Garcia got around Carles Puyol to tap into the path of Lekic, who bursting past Gerard Pique to slot the opener past Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes after just five minutes.

Barcelona’s defense was also slow to react on the second goal as Garcia rolled a wide ball through Puyol’s legs to the right side for Alvaro Cejudo, whose low cross skipped through the area to find Lekic.

The freezing temperatures hardened the pitch and disrupted Barcelona’s game as players slipped and struggled to find their rhythm.

Although Lionel Messi had a number of first-half chances saved by Osasuna keeper Andres Fernandez, it wasn’t until the entrance of B-team players Isaac Cuenca and Tello after the break that the Catalan side improved.

Cuenca showed superb class throughout as the young winger skipped a pass through a handful of players inside the area to find Sanchez at the far post to halve the deficit.

But Osasuna responded as Garcia raced past Pique to reach Juan Francisco Martinez’s pass for what proved the eventual winner. Barcelona conceded three league goals in a game for the first time in nearly three years, a run of 100 games.

Knowing Madrid could open up a double-digit lead with a win, Barcelona kept attacking and Tello scored his fourth goal in seven appearances.

Despite Barcelona’s problems, Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says the title is still up for grabs.

“February is possibly more difficult for us than Barcelona as we take on Levante, Racing [Santander], who are improving, Rayo [Vallecano], without doubt the surprise package this season, and then Espanyol, who are fighting for a place in Europe,” he said.

Goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez made several great saves as Racing Santander escaped with a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid, while Real Betis scored a stoppage-time winner for a 2-1 win over 10-man Athletic Bilbao.

Bilbao’s Javi Martinez canceled out Ruben Castro’s 10th-minute opener with a goal in the 22nd, but Portuguese fullback Nelson latched on to a loose ball and fired a swerving shot past Gorka Iraizoz for the win. Bilbao played with 10 men over the final 25 minutes after Martinez was sent off for a second booking.

AP, AFP