Osasuna Vs Real Madrid: Raúl García’s added-time strike stuns La Liga leaders
In a match that decided the title race’s immediate picture, osasuna vs real madrid ended 2-1 after Raúl García’s 90th-minute winner at El Sadar, a result that hands Barcelona the chance to return to the summit if they beat Levante tomorrow.
Raúl García seals it in stoppage time
Raúl García’s 90th-minute strike completed a dramatic finish after substitute Dani Ceballos lost possession late and Raúl Moro released García, who beat Raúl Asensio before firing into the top corner to seal the win at El Sadar. The goal was initially flagged offside but, following a VAR review, the strike was given, leaving Estadio El Sadar bouncing as home fans celebrated. García has now scored three goals after coming off the bench in La Liga this season.
Penalty, Vinícius equaliser and bookings
Real fell behind to an Ante Budimir penalty after 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 from the spot. Federico Valverde surged down the left and crossed low for Vinícius Júnior to slide home from close range in the 73rd minute to level the scores. Vinícius was later shown a yellow card for dissent, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was booked for a foul on Víctor Muñoz on the edge of the box after curling a free-kick well off target earlier; Alejandro Catena’s header for the hosts was also way off target during the match.
Arbeloa: "There are many games left, and we have room for improvement"
Álvaro Arbeloa, speaking after the game at El Sadar, said: “A team shows its strengths when difficulties arise. What cannot arise are doubts. ” He explained he substituted Valverde in the 75th minute because Valverde had been carrying minor discomfort from many consecutive matches and he preferred not to risk injury. Arbeloa criticised his side’s lack of punch, teeth and speed up front, urged faster ball movement against a low block and noted that, in his view, there might even have been a foul earlier in the penalty action and two very tight offside calls went against them. He added the team is not affected by the defeat and insisted there is a big margin to improve, with a long road ahead starting on Wednesday in the Champions League against Benfica.
Osasuna’s run and the title implications
Osasuna are unbeaten in their last six La Liga matches (W4 D2), their first run of six or more without defeat in the competition since August 2024 (P6 W2 D4). Champions Barcelona trail Real Madrid by two points but can overtake them if they beat Levante at Camp Nou tomorrow; if Barcelona win their match at 15: 15 GMT, they will go back to the top of La Liga. The result leaves the title race in tight focus ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
Other European results and late drama around the continent
Elsewhere in Europe, Atlético Madrid recovered to beat Espanyol 4-2 with Alexander Sørloth striking twice, while Bayern Munich edged Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 as Harry Kane scored twice, including a header from a Michael Olise corner and a 68th-minute finish that took his league tally to 28 goals. Bayern had opened the scoring when Aleksandar Pavlovic volleyed in from the edge of the box in the 16th minute; Frankfurt pulled one back through Jonathan Burkardt’s 75th-minute penalty after Kane fouled Oscar Højlund, and Arnaud Kalimuendo scored in the 86th minute, but Bayern held on for their 19th win in 23 league games. Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 with RB Leipzig after Romulo’s own goal and Fábio Silva’s stoppage-time equaliser, and Inter moved 10 points clear in Serie A with a 2-0 win at Lecce highlighted by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s second-half goal.
Vinícius, who had earlier scored a sensational goal to give Madrid a slender first-leg lead but was then the victim of alleged racial abuse, thought he had earned his team a point before stoppage-time drama. As Arbeloa noted, the squad must sharpen up ahead of the return to European competition.
The next confirmed fixtures are Barcelona against Levante at Camp Nou tomorrow at 15: 15 GMT and Real Madrid’s important Champions League second leg on Wednesday against Benfica; what comes next for both teams will be measured against those matches.
