Although attacking star Vinicius Junior had an unlucky day, Federico Valverde Marco Asensio’s late goals were enough to help Real Madrid win 2-0 at Osasuna, thereby narrowing the gap temporarily. with the top of Barcelona down to 5 points.
Real Madrid won 2-0 at Osasuna Stadium, temporarily narrowing the gap with the top to 5 points.
Vinicius returned fresh after a one-match suspension, leading Real Madrid’s attack as Karim Benzema recuperated before the top game against Liverpool in the 1/8 Champions League round next Tuesday. However, the Brazilian star had a completely unsatisfactory game, he failed to beat Osasuna’s goalkeeper Sergio Herrera in three one-on-one situations, while two shots into the net were denied.
However, Vinicius succeeded in creating an assist role, when he passed smoothly to Valverde to score the opening goal in the 78th minute. Asensio sealed a 2-0 victory in the 90+2 minute after the 18-year-old talent’s assist. Alvaro Rodriguez – who also passed Vinicius into the net in the 89th minute, but the goal was disallowed. The hard-fought victory helped Real Madrid raise its score to 51, five points behind leaders Barcelona, who will face Cadiz on Sunday.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti assessed: “Vinicius is a player who always makes a difference. When we started playing more in more space in the second half, that’s when he took the initiative. Vinicius is a great player, he doesn’t stop attacking, he doesn’t stop dribbling. That is an amazing talent. We had a long hard time, thankfully we scored at the best time and I’m happy with the win. We played a good game, the important thing is to win and keep the championship race going.”
In other notable results. The third team, Real Sociedad, was suddenly held by Celta Vigo to draw 1-1 at home because of an own goal in the last moments of Robin Le Normand. Earlier Mikel Oyarzabal had given Sociedad the lead right from the 5th minute.
Real Betis beat Valladolid 2-1 at home thanks to a dazzling display from Sergio Canales, who provided an assist and scored another from the penalty spot. Real Betis is still ranked 5th, but narrows the gap to only 1 point compared to 4th place Atletico Madrid – the team that hosts Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Mallorca beat 10 Villarreal players 4-2 to claim their biggest win since Javier Aguirre became manager in March 2022.
