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Real Madrid cruised past Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to register their second consecutive league victory.
The game started off slowly and though the hosts controlled proceedings, clear-cut chances were at a premium.
Luka Jovic was presented with the first opportunity of the match but the Serbian astonishingly fluffed his lines.
A few minutes later though, Vinicius Junior struck from long range to hand Los Blancos the lead before half-time.
After the restart, the home side turned the screws slightly and put Osasuna under pressure.
In the 72nd minute, Rodrygo put the result beyond doubt when he conjured a sensational solo goal on his debut.
Here is a look at the five talking points from the game:
#1 Real Madrid edge ahead in a cagey first half
Zinedine Zidane opted to shuffle his pack for Osasuna’s visit on Wednesday and the Frenchman made an astounding 8 changes to the line-up that faced Sevilla at the weekend.
Thus, plenty of fans and pundits expected them to start sluggishly and produce an unglamourous performance in the first half. Moreover, with Los Blancos facing Osasuna, a side that has prioritized defence over offense this season, the game was expected to traverse a cagey path, especially in the formative stages.
Those predictions weren’t too far off the mark as both sides failed to get into a rhythm in the first period.
Though Madrid controlled possession, they rarely scythed through the visitors’ defence, meaning that most of their offensive play happened in front of the rear-guard as opposed to behind them.
In the process, Osasuna were able to compress the centre of the pitch and reduce the hosts to speculative crosses from the flanks.
One of those deliveries almost led to the opening goal when Alvaro Odriozola’s cross was nearly diverted into Osasuna’s net by one of the away side’s defenders.
Yet, that passage of play represented the only bit of goalmouth action in the opening half an hour.
Thereafter, Madrid started clicking into gear just a touch as they quickened the tempo of their approach play. Consequently, the swiftness of their passing opened up a few more avenues down the wings.
The hosts were rewarded for their endeavors when Vinicius Jr. made the net bulge from outside the box, albeit courtesy a massive deflection.
However, apart from the goal, there wasn’t really a lot to remember about both sides’ offensive movements.
And, while several anticipated the game to be a slow burner, not many would’ve envisaged such a scrappy first half, which was also devoid of clear-cut chances.
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#2 Luka Jovic misses his mark, spectacularly
In the summer, Real Madrid splashed the cash to bring Luka Jovic on board. The Serbian turned numerous heads with his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga and represented one of the hottest attacking prospects in Europe.
Unsurprisingly, there was palpable excitement around the Santiago Bernabeu regarding his arrival and a potential partnership with Karim Benzema.
However, the forward has failed to reproduce that in the early part of his Los Blancos career and his wretched run was compounded by another rudderless display against Osasuna.
Throughout the first half, Jovic was anonymous as he rarely contributed to the attack. He was content to prey around the penalty box and didn’t bother involving himself with the build-up play.
And, when a chance came his way in the penalty area, he somehow managed to balloon his shot over the bar, even when making the net ripple seemed easier.
Though he slightly improved after the break, he spurned another chance when eyeball to eyeball with the Osasuna goalkeeper.
After being sent clear by Lucas Vazquez, the Serbian tried to take a touch and finish past Ruben Martinez. However, he took the ball a little wide and that narrowed the angle, meaning that he could only slice his effort wide of the target.
A few minutes later, he made the net bulge, but his goal was correctly chalked out for offside by VAR.
Since the season started, the injuries have been piling up for Real Madrid and they’ve been hoping for their summer recruits to hit the ground running. And, though Jovic might still go on to establish himself as a top-notch striker at the Bernabeu, that transformation certainly didn’t come to fruition on Wednesday.
#3 Rodrygo makes an instant impact
In the 2019 off-season, Rodrygo completed his much-awaited move to Real Madrid after having spent a couple of seasons at Santos. Though Los Blancos had agreed a fee a year prior, the Brazilian was officially acquired this summer as Zinedine Zidane looked to reinvigorate his offensive options.
However, the teenager wasn’t thrust into the deep end initially and had to bide his time. Yet, when called upon against Osasuna, Rodrygo stamped his authority at the Santiago Bernabeu and did so in some style.
The youngster collected a cross-field pass on the left flank on the half-volley and immediately took it in his stride. Thereafter, he proceeded towards goal with purpose and cut inside the defenders to open up a scoring opportunity.
When accorded with the chance to open his account, the Brazilian didn’t disappoint as he curled a sumptuous shot past Ruben into the bottom corner to double Los Blancos’ lead.
In addition to the goal, Rodrygo looked extremely bright on the ball and boasted the confidence to take on defenders. And, though he might still be a little too raw to play consistently at this level, his bravery and skill were extremely refreshing to witness.
A year ago, Vinicius Jr. captured the imagination of every Real Madrid fan as he conjured several incredible displays.
And, if Rodrygo manages to notch a few more sharp performances like today, Los Blancos faithful might just be treated to another Brazilian teenage prodigy.
#4 Osasuna surrender their unbeaten streak meekly
Coming into the encounter against Real Madrid, Osasuna represented one of only three sides to remain undefeated in La Liga this season. Additionally, they also possessed an astonishing 16-match unbeaten run which stretched back to March 2019.
Thus, the visitors had a proud record to protect at the Santiago Bernebeu. They started positively too as they rid Madrid of space in midfield, thereby blunting Los Blancos’ attacking weapons.
However, the visitors fell away after the early promise as they retreated into their shell and allowed Madrid to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.
In the opening exchanges, Osasuna mounted a few counter-attacks with Brandon Thomas leading the way. In those moments, they showcased decent composure on the ball as their midfielders looked to pass through the opposition midfield as opposed to lumping long balls forward.
Yet, once Madrid started establishing a foothold, the visitors were content to override that ploy, in the process, enabling Los Blancos to play without the fear of getting stung on the break.
Subsequently, the hosts looked much better in the second half and enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, meaning that the away side got extremely exhausted chasing the ball.
Ultimately, that proved to be the final straw on the night for Osasuna as they barely tested Alphonse Areola.
Through the nascent stage of the season, the visitors have portrayed a certain level of doggedness and a propensity to not wilt under pressure.
However, those aspects failed to come to the fore on Wednesday and a toothless performance eventually consigned them to their first league defeat of the term.
#5 Real Madrid’s new-look side propel them to the perch of the table
Before Real Madrid kicked off their match against Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao battled Leganes as they looked to solidify their position at the top of the table.
However, Los Leones only managed a 1-1 stalemate, meaning that Madrid had the chance to leapfrog them to the top of the table. While Los Blancos didn’t set the world ablaze, they just about got the job done to ensure they ended the match-week at the pinnacle of the standings.
Zinedine Zidane fielded several fresh faces with an eye on the Madrid Derby at the weekend. The likes of Eder Militao, Federico Valverde, Luka Jovic, Alvaro Odriozola and Lucas Vazquez got the nod which hinted that the French manager wasn’t afraid to test out the alternatives at his disposal.
Madrid’s fringe players repaid Zidane’s faith as they helped Los Blancos get the better of Osasuna.
For large parts of the game, Real Madrid weren’t at their best and their attack didn’t quite flow as expected. Yet, they stuck to their guns, persevered and broke down Osasuna’s resistance.
The start of the 2019-20 season hasn’t brought much respite for Madrid, especially after a few dire performances recently.
However, moving to the summit of the table might act as the shot in the arm Los Blancos required.
Though it would be too premature to say that Madrid are rid of all their problems, courtesy their current La Liga position, it certainly doesn’t look as bad as some have made it out to be, does it?
