Osasuna - Real Madrid: match report and goals, LaLiga week 22
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and Lucas Vázquez earn Zinedine Zidane's side three points in Pamplona against a dogged home side.Marseille - PSG live online
Real Madrid re-assumed leadership of LaLiga after Barcelona has briefly moved to the top of the pile with a 3-1 win over Osasuna at El Sadar on Saturday night.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and substitute Lucas Vázquez sealed victory against an Osasuna side who played to their strengths and were often threatening on the break. Sergio León continued his excellent recent run of form with a well-taken goal after springing Real’s offside trap and the Osasuna forward kept Keylor Navas on his toes all evening with some stinging shots that the Real keeper did well to keep out.
Zidane elected to play an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation in Pamplona with Danilo and Marcelo out wide but was forced into a reshuffle when the former went off injured in the second half. Osasuna were also forced into two changes after Tano suffered a horrific broken leg in the first half in a period of play when Osasuna were having the better of the game. Juan Rafael Fuentes followed in the second half and Real were able to capitalize on the home side’s misfortune when Isco popped up to slot home from the area vacated by the left back a few minutes earlier.
Vázquez sealed victory in stoppage time with a well-taken goal after the canterano found space at the far post.
Osasuna 1-2 Real Madrid: as it happened
Min 46 | We're back underway in El Sadar, where the rain is hammering down now.
Osasuna have been good value for the half-time result, attacking with verve and keepng Real's chances at the other end to a minimum. Will Zidane change his tactical set-up for the second period? We're about to find out.
20:40 | The teams are in the tunnel and about to step out on to the turf at El Sadar, which was imported from Portugal this week for tonight's game. We can only imagine the cold snap gripping Spain at the moment is the reason for that.
17:40 | The AS Oracle has had a particularly intense look in his eye this week in his attempts to hit the jackpot. Have a gander at his prediction for tonight's encounter.
16:58 | One player looking to keep out of the spotlight is Álvaro Morata, whose curious choice of attire upon leaving a Madrid restaurant raised more than a few eyebrows this week.
15:55 | Ronaldo will also return to El Sadar. The Portuguese striker has faced Osasuna on nine occasions, bagging 10 goals. That said, only two have come in Pamplona.
13:45 | Talking of Napoli, former defender for the Italian side, Ciro Ferrara, says Zinedine Zidane has embraced the Italian philosophy for defending in order to make Real Madrid successful again.
12:30 | Looking ahead to Real Madrid's Champions League tie on Tuesday for just a moment, opponents Napolihave now gone 18 games unbeaten after their win over Genoa last night. Are they unstoppable?
11:10 | AS Real Madrid editor, Tomas Roncero, is just one of the many people who think giving Benzema a new contract is a "mistake". Do you agree?
10:15 | ICYMI: We broke the news yesterday that Real Madrid will be offering under-fire striker, Karim Benzema, a new deal in June. It's a story that was greeted by, let's say, a mixed reaction.
09:00 | Good morning and welcome to live buildup of this evening's game between Los Rojillos and Los Blancos. We'll be bringing you all the latest news ahead of kick-off so stay right where you are!
Osasuna vs Real Madrid: match preview
Ahead of the weekend's fixtures, LaLiga's top team travels north to Pamplona to play bottom side Osasuna knowing the importance of keeping distance between them and their rivals, but with one eye on what could be a very challenging Champions League first leg against Napoli on Wednesday. For the hosts, survival is the name of every game and although improvements in their performances have been seen in recent weeks under new manager Petar Vasiljevic, they haven't taken three points from a game since last October.
Osasuna
It's February and the team that was promoted to the Primera last year is now three points adrift at the foot of the table and eight points from safety after picking up just 10 points in 21 games. But, following the appointment of Vasiljevic to replace Joaquín Caparrós at the turn of the year, the light that had disappeared at the end of tunnel has just started to twinkle in the distance, with improved performances in recent weeks. Three draws in their last five league games, the other two being losses to high-flying Sevilla and Real Sociedad 3-4 and 2-3 respectively, suggest there is a momentum building. Captain, Oier Sanjurjo, spoke ahead of the game:
"We have begun to show that we are competing. What we want is for all that to come together for once and be rewarded in a win. We are strong." If it can come together on Saturday, it could send ripples out at both ends of the table.
Real Madrid
Although on paper this should be an easy three points for the league leaders, manager Zinedine Zidane was quick to point out in his pre-match press conference on Friday that El Sadar remains a tough place to go. And certainly from a Real Madrid perspective this is true with the team drawing in their last two visits. Depending on results elsewhere Los Blancos could arrive behind rivals Barcelona in the table and, even with games in hand, will not want to lose even a psychological advantage at this stage. The ideal situation for Zidane will be to start strong, have the game won early, allowing him to rest players with the European test just a few days away.