Osasuna Vs Real Madrid — osasuna vs real madrid: Vinicius scores but Osasuna stun leaders
In a dramatic La Liga clash, osasuna vs real madrid ended 2-1 as Raúl García struck in added time to consign the league leaders to defeat. Vinicius Jr had earlier levelled for Álvaro Arbeloa’s side, but Osasuna sealed victory at Estadio El Sadar in the closing moments.
Osasuna Vs Real Madrid reaction
La Liga leaders Real Madrid were stunned by Osasuna on Saturday, the visitors pulling level through Vinícius Júnior in the 73rd minute before the home side snatched victory in stoppage time. The winning sequence began when substitute Dani Ceballos lost possession in the closing phases; Raúl Moro released Raúl García, who beat Raúl Asencio and fired into the top corner to seal a famous win.
How the goals unfolded
Osasuna had taken the lead from the spot after an Ante Budimir penalty. A video assistant review showed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had stood on Budimir’s foot; the referee overturned an initial booking for simulation and Budimir calmly converted the spot-kick. Real levelled when Federico Valverde surged down the left and crossed low for Vinícius Júnior to slide home from close range in the 73rd minute. Late on, after an initial offside flag, a VAR review allowed Raúl García’s 90th-minute winner to stand.
Arbeloa’s post-match comments
Álvaro Arbeloa spoke after Real Madrid’s 2-1 loss to Osasuna on Saturday evening, saying: “I’ve said that we always have to match the intensity of our opponents. I don’t know if I’m saying things differently or if I’m not expressing myself well. It’s true that we haven’t been able to string together games, even though we were coming off three good wins. But this is a day-by-day situation. We can’t get stuck after the fourth game. That’s what we’re working towards. ”
Arbeloa added: “We lacked punch, teeth and speed up front. We have a big margin to improve and a long road ahead of us, starting on Wednesday in the Champions League against Benfica. I hope it’s nothing serious, because we’re fighting for our lives again in four days. A team shows its strength in adversity. What we can’t allow is doubt. I believe in my team. We need to maintain that level of performance over time. We’ll keep working, pushing ourselves, and getting the best out of every player, because we need them all. ”
On tactical points he said: “I didn’t say we were too slow, but rather that we needed to move the ball faster and create more danger. It’s a matter of concept, knowing what we want to do and what we want to provoke. We have to keep working on it, to see what we did well on Tuesday and not today. There are many more matches to play. We have a lot of room for improvement. If you’re not at 100%, anyone can beat you. Our opponents prepare very well for their matches. ”
Arbeloa also explained a selection decision: “He’s been putting in a lot of effort playing many games in a row, and he’s been dealing with a lot of discomfort. He’s been feeling it for the last few weeks. And I preferred not to risk Fede. It was more about not taking any chances, in case he got injured. He rested last weekend; he didn’t play against Real Sociedad. When we think he’s not fit, we’re not going to take risks. It’s not something I decide alone; I do it with the doctors. He felt ready to play. ”
He continued: “From what little I saw, there could have been a foul in the previous play. Two very close offside calls went against us. We didn’t play well; we need to play much better, with more intensity. It’s not easy to do that Wednesday-Sunday, but that’s what’s expected of us. This is Real Madrid. I knew they were demanding, and I wasn’t wrong. ” The report noted that Arbeloa’s is starting to make tactical adjustments and it’s showing.
Key incidents and discipline
Vinicius Junior was shown a yellow card for dissent during the match. Trent Alexander-Arnold was booked for a foul on Victor Munoz right on the edge of the box, after a free-kick from Alexander-Arnold was curled well off target. Alejandro Catena’s header was also way off target at one point. Raul Garcia (also written Raul Garcia in some accounts) has now scored three goals after coming off the bench in La Liga this season. Estadio El Sadar was described as bouncing as the home fans celebrated the late winner; reports said Osasuna thought they had won earlier when the flag went up for offside before the VAR review awarded the goal.
Broader standings and European context
Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them if they beat Levante at Camp Nou tomorrow, with the kick-off given as 15: 15 GMT. The title race remains dramatic. Osasuna are unbeaten in their last six La Liga matches (W4 D2) — the first time they have gone six or more without defeat in the competition since August 2024 (P6 W2 D4).
Across Europe, Alexander Sørloth struck twice as Atlético Madrid won 4-2 against Espanyol to get back to winning ways; Atlético are fourth, earned their first victory in four league matches, and trail Real Madrid by 12 points, leaving their hopes of fighting for the title virtually over, though they opened up a six-point lead on Real Betis after Betis drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano. In Germany, Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2, with Bayern briefly moving nine points clear of Borussia Dortmund; Bayern led through Aleksandar Pavlovic’s 16th-minute volley and Kane’s header four minutes later, Kane struck again in the 68th minute for his 28th league goal of the season, Frankfurt responded a Jonathan Burkardt 75th-minute penalty and Arnaud Kalimuendo’s 86th-minute goal, but Bayern held on for their 19th win in 23 league games. Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 with RB Leipzig after a late Fábio Silva strike, cutting Bayern’s lead to eight points, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s second-half goal helped Inter move 10 points clear at the Serie A summit with a 2-0 win at Lecce on Saturday.
Osasuna’s late victory leaves Real Madrid with urgent questions to answer ahead of their midweek Champions League fixture and gives Barcelona a clear chance to reclaim top spot should they beat Levante at Camp Nou (15: 15 GMT) tomorrow.
