Osasuna - Real Madrid: Vuelta al batacazo that jolts Madrid’s title bid and hands Barcelona a window

Why this matters now: The Osasuna - Real Madrid shock in Pamplona immediately shifts pressure onto the holders' locker room, the coach and a handful of players who carried the team on difficult nights. A late Raúl García golazo that survived a millimetric VAR check and a performance that left Vinícius isolated turn a single match into a league-state signal: Madrid’s lead looks fragile and Barcelona gains a breathing space.

Immediate impact on Real Madrid’s standing and personnel

The defeat at El Sadar translated into more than three points lost: it changed perceptions. After leaving Lisbon with an upbeat assessment, the club returned from Pamplona "under observation" following a leaden, poor display. The result amplifies doubts around rotation choices, the fitness of a key forward, and the midfield makeup used to protect wide attackers. The real question now is who within the squad will absorb the brunt of the scrutiny.

Osasuna - Real Madrid — decisive moments and the finish

Osasuna manufactured the decisive moment late: a 90th-minute golazo from Raúl García de Haro that was validated by VAR by millimeters secured the win. Earlier in the match a disputed penalty occurred; shortly after that, Vinícius converted an important goal by finishing a good cross from Valverde. Osasuna’s persistence and timely risk-taking produced three points at El Sadar.

Tactical choices, rotations and how they shaped the game

Arbeloa rotated his back line, changing three of the four defenders who had been effective in Lisbon. One change was forced by an injured Huijsen; the coach also elected to rest Trent and Rüdiger because of prior risk concerns this season. From that point the coach made no further substitutions, described as stemming from a lack of better options on the bench. The midfield was more siderurgical than creative, operating without a true organizer to free wide attackers; Eduardo Camavinga spent significant time on the left filling defensive gaps, while Arda Güler appeared in a strict mediocenter role. What’s easy to miss is how those choices left the attack too dependent on individual brilliance rather than sustained combination play.

• Osasuna capitalized on home form: unbeaten at El Sadar since November and fielding what was described as its best eleven.
• Madrid’s rotation — partly forced by injury — altered defensive cohesion and midfield balance.
• Vinícius produced an incisive performance but was frequently left isolated.
• Mbappé is noted as likely hampered by knee problems and showed signs of being short of full sharpness.
• The match pattern followed a classic script: visitors with more possession, locals aggressive in counters and body-to-body midfield battles.

Player-level notes and critical errors

Mbappé appeared far from his peak and made few productive combinations with Vinícius. A Real Madrid canterano was singled out for errors that proved costly: he was slow in the action that led to the penalty for the first goal, cleared late, and then went to ground in the Raúl García play with a poor movement. Vinícius scored an important goal after Valverde’s cross, but his good game alone could not prevent the loss. Ante Budimir had a presence early on—his header forced a strong save from the goalkeeper and another of his headers struck the post during a period of sustained pressure from Osasuna.

Squads, immediate schedule and what follows

Starting lineups in the game were listed as follows. Osasuna: Sergio Herrera; Valentin Rosier; Alejandro Catena; Jorge Herrando; Javi Galán; Lucas Torró; Jon Moncayola; Aimar Oroz; Rubén García; Víctor Muñoz; Ante Budimir. Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal; Raúl Asencio; David Alaba; Álvaro Carreras; Aurélien Tchouaméni; Federico Valverde; Eduardo Camavinga; Arda Güler; Kylian Mbappé; Vinícius Júnior.

Osasuna’s near-term schedule in domestic and continental windows was noted: visits Valencia on Sunday 1 March; receives Mallorca on Friday 6 March; faces Real Sociedad on Sunday 15 March; receives Girona on Sunday 22 March. In a continental context, on Wednesday 25 March Osasuna receives Benfica in the Champions playoff return and will then know if it advances to the round of 16. Additionally, in LaLiga they receive Getafe on Monday 2 March. Schedule is subject to change.

The bigger signal here is that a single match in Pamplona has multiplied consequences: immediate tactical questions, fitness concerns for a marquee forward, and a tangible lift for rivals. Here's the part that matters: this result hands Barcelona a tangible opportunity to tighten the title race. The real question now is whether Madrid responds by adjusting rotations, restoring midfield creativity, or relying on individual moments to bail them out.

It is unclear in the provided context how the final sequence involving an indecision between Raúl Asencio and Thibaut Courtois concluded; that detail is incomplete in the available information.