Osasuna - Real Madrid: Raúl García stuns El Sadar and hands Barca a lifeline
In a dramatic finish at El Sadar, osasuna - real madrid ended with Raúl García de Haro scoring a 90th-minute golazo — a VAR-checked winner — that gives Barcelona a clear opening in the title race. The result followed a match in which Vinícius converted a disputed penalty but Real Madrid suffered from a flat performance and multiple selection questions.
Osasuna - Real Madrid at El Sadar
Osasuna secured the three points at El Sadar with two strikers sharing the spoils: Ante Budimir troubled Real Madrid early and Raúl García de Haro delivered the late, decisive strike. The winner in the 90th minute was checked by VAR and validated by millimetres. The stadium celebrated a victory over Madrid at home for the first time in 15 years; Osasuna had not lost at home since November and came into the game with what was described as their best eleven ready.
How the key moments played out
The match opened tightly. The only seismic minute early on came at minute 17, when two curl shots came in quick succession from Vinícius and Budimir; Vinícius’s attempt was described as a gift, while Budimir’s lacked the effect to hit the post. A disputed penalty later produced an important goal for Vinícius, who finished a good cross from Federico Valverde. Courtois was beaten on that play but also made a heavy-handed save earlier when Budimir met a Rubén García cross with an indeterminate part of his body and forced a punch from the goalkeeper; Budimir also had a header that hit the post during Osasuna’s spells of pressure.
Selection choices and defensive changes under Arbeloa
The coach made three changes among the four defenders who had protected the team in Lisbon: Huijsen was replaced because he was injured, and Trent and Rüdiger were rested given prior risk this season. After those adjustments the coach did not make further moves, noted as a consequence of a thin bench. Real Madrid’s midfield shape was described as more steel than creativity, with Eduardo Camavinga pushed very close to the left to cover Vinícius’s defensive gaps and Arda Güler deployed as a strict central midfielder. The coverage suggested the side played with nine players asked to orbit the two stars, but Kylian Mbappé suffered what was called an apagón and was largely absent, leaving Vinícius too isolated to rescue the result.
Issues of form, individual errors and tactical matchups
Mbappé was singled out as out of form and possibly hampered by knee problems; he made few combinations with Vinícius and lacked the scoring rhythm of the first half of the season. The Real Madrid output also featured criticisms of individual mistakes that Osasuna capitalised on. Observers noted a canterano from Real Madrid became a persistent headache for the home side’s defence, while Federico Valverde had to cover Dani Carvajal’s right flank because he couldn’t handle him in one-on-one situations. One passage in the match account about an indecision between Raúl Asencio and Thibaut Courtois ends abruptly in the provided context and is unclear in the provided context. Another sentence about a player who “fell asleep” during the penalty action and later went to ground in Raúl García’s play is also unclear in the provided context.
Lineups and named personnel
Osasuna lined up with: Sergio Herrera, Valentin Rosier, Alejandro Catena, Jorge Herrando, Javi Galán, Lucas Torró, Jon Moncayola, Aimar Oroz, Rubén García, Víctor Muñoz and Ante Budimir. Real Madrid’s starting XI was listed as: Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Raúl Asencio, David Alaba, Álvaro Carreras, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.
After the match it was noted that Real Madrid left Lisbon “with the all-clear” but left Pamplona “under observation” following a heavy, plodding game that contrasted sharply with their previous outing. Observers also argued Osasuna’s gamble to press and risk at key moments produced its own luck and ultimately the three points.
What’s next
Osasuna’s confirmed upcoming schedule in the provided context lists a busy March: they visit Valencia on Sunday 1 March, receive Getafe on Monday 2 March, host Mallorca on Friday 6 March, face Real Sociedad on Sunday 15 March, receive Girona on Sunday 22 March and then host Benfica on Wednesday 25 March in the Champions playoff return, after which they will know whether they will play the round of 16. Those fixtures are the next confirmed events in the provided context.
