Osasuna 1-3 Real Madrid: Player Ratings as Los Blancos win despite Karim Benzema's double penalty miss | La Liga 2021-22 

Real Madrid beat Osasuna 3-1 at El Sadar Stadium on Wednesday to inch closer to winning La Liga.

Los Blancos entered this contest on the back of an incredible 3-2 win away to Sevilla after coming from two goals down. Osasuna, on the other hand, secured a big 2-1 win at the Mestalla Stadium against Valencia in their last game. The visitors fielded a heavily-rotated side, with just a handful of regulars starting the game.

The game began with an explosive start from both sides as the initial exchanges were end-to-end. Neither side was willing to let their opponents pass them easily, with tackles flying in. Eduardo Camavinga went into the referee's book in just the fourth minute after making a clumsy challenge. The intensity of the first few minutes set the tone for the rest of the game.

Real Madrid broke the deadlock in the 12th minute. Karim Benzema headed the ball into the crowd and it fell to David Alaba's feet after a few deflections. The Austrian finished with his shin to make it 1-0.

However, the hosts came right back at them with a quickfire equalizer. Chimy Avila played in a hard, driven cross across the face of goal which Ante Budimir instinctively tapped in to make it 1-1 in the 13th minute.

The game progressed as both Real Madrid and Osasuna had chaotic possessions of the ball. Alaba struck a long-range effort that was saved by Sergio Herrera in Osasuna's goal. Los Blancos kept the pressure up and it paid off as Camavinga played a sweet pass to Dani Ceballos. The Spaniard attempted a shot that ricocheted into Marco Asensio's path. The winger made it 2-1 to Madrid in the 45th minute.

The sides went into the break with Real Madrid leading 2-1 after dominating a larger portion of the first half than Osasuna.

The game took an eventful turn after the restart. Rodrygo made a darting run down Real Madrid's left-wing and did well to come to a sudden halt. It put defender Avila off and he knocked the ball with his trailing arm in the sliding tackle. Los Blancos were awarded a penalty which Benzema failed to convert after a brilliant low save by Herrera.

A few minutes later, Nacho Vidal clipped Rodrygo and the referee awarded Real Madrid another penalty. Benzema stepped up and shockingly missed his second attempt from the spot in identical fashion to the first. Credit to Herrera in Osasuna's goal, though, as he guessed correctly and saved it twice.

As the clock ticked on, neither side was able to stitch together a threatening-enough series of passes. They exchanged alternating spells of possession with Real Madrid looking more threatening owing to the sheer quality in their ranks. Carlo Ancelotti tried out a few different approaches as he made a couple of substitutions.

Substitute Vinicius Jr. skipped past his opponent before squaring the ball to Lucas Vazquez. The Spaniard secured all three points for his side by making it 3-1. It was a tough win without several regular starters and Real Madrid have a lot of positives to take away from this game. That said, let's take a look at their player ratings from the game.

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Real Madrid Player Ratings

CA Osasuna v Real Madrid CF - La Liga Santander

Thibaut Courtois - 6.5/10

The Belgian started the game well and made some key saves to keep Osasuna at bay. He had a relatively quiet night as Los Blancos won 3-1.

Lucas Vazquez - 6/10

Vazquez was lively on Real Madrid's right flank as he sprinted up and down to help his side's cause.

Eder Militao - 6.5/10

The Brazilian had a decent performance at the heart of the defense. He was booked right at the hour mark.

David Alaba - 6.5/10

Alaba got into a brilliant position to tap-in for the first goal of the night. He continued to push forward in attack and struck a venomous long-range effort that was saved by Sergio Herrera. He was replaced at half-time.

Nacho - 6/10

He started in an unnatural left-back position and showed a tendency to drift into central areas. That allowed the Osasuna attackers to occupy key areas on the flank from where the ball for their equalizer was played. He was booked just after Militao's booking.

Federico Valverde - 7/10

Valverde made a composed start to the game, passing the ball around well under pressure from Osasuna's players.

Eduardo Camavinga - 7.5/10

The Frenchman replicated his hastiness from his side's previous game against Sevilla as he was booked in the fourth minute.

Dani Ceballos - 5.5/10

Ceballos started a game for Real Madrid after a long time. He did well to distribute the ball and played a key role in his side's second goal as his saved shot was turned in off the rebound by Asensio. However, he cut a frustrating figure at times, going down way too easily under minimal contact. He was replaced after 71 minutes.

Marco Asensio - 8/10

He played well and scored his side's second goal in the 45th minute to put them up 2-1. He ended the night with two shots on target and passed the ball with 87% accuracy.

Rodrygo - 8/10

The Brazilian was at his tricky best, using his pace and agility to trouble opposition defenders throughout. He did well to earn two penalties for Los Blancos. Unfortunately, neither was converted.

Karim Benzema - 5/10

Benzema started sharply and created a chance for Real Madrid's opener. He remained lively throughout the first half, dropping deep to help his teammates make attacking runs. The Frenchman started the second half poorly as he missed two penalties in the exact same way in the span of just seven minutes.

Substitutes

Dani Carvajal - 6.5/10

The Spaniard came on after the restart to replace Alaba, who pulled up with an injury a few moments earlier. He put in a decent shift to help his side win.

Toni Kroos - 6/10

Kroos came on late to help anchor Real Madrid's midfield and provided the additional support needed to win.

Isco - 6/10

Isco showed glimpses of his younger self as he dribbled through tight areas and played some smart passes.

Vinicius Jr. - 7/10

The Brazilian provided the assist for Real's third goal that sealed all three points.