Real Madrid kept their 100% record to the season intact as they cruised to a 5-2 home win over the newly promoted Osasuna, with Cristiano Ronaldo also marking his return to action with an early strike.
In his first appearance of the season, the Portuguese maestro took just 5 minutes to open the scoring with a simple tap-in, with Danilo and Sergio Ramos scoring late on in the half.
Pepe and Luka Modric added two more after the break to make it 5-0, but the Bernabeu celebrations were soured a little when Oriol Riera and David Garcia pulled two back for the visitors.
Things could’ve been worse for Madrid had Roberto Garcia not missed from the spot. Regardless, Madrid picked up all three points to move to the top of the table. Here are the talking points.
#1 Ronaldo hits the ground running
Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo returned to action for the first time since the finals of the Euros and left his mark on the game as early as the fifth minute as the Portuguese triggered the onslaught with a simple tap-in.
Gareth Bale ran into the area completely unmarked and played a cross against the face of the goal for the 31-year to make the easiest of finishes.
It was an encouraging return to football for Ronaldo as he opened his account for the new season. Ronaldo wasn’t at his rollicking best as he refrained from exerting too much on the game and remained quiet after his goal.
He had a couple of touches on the ball and one or two crosses; perhaps finding his way slowly back to competitive football.
#2 Madrid lose concentration towards the end
After romping to a seemingly unassailable 5-0 lead by the hour, a lapse of concentration towards the end led to Los Blancos nearly throwing the game away.
Just two minutes after Modric made it five for the home side, Oriol Riera reduced the arrears with a near-perfect header past Kiko Casilla to give the visiting fans something to cheer about.
Osasuna were given further hope with a penalty, but Roberto Garcia’s futile attempt was saved by Casilla.
Real Madrid heaved a sigh of relief, but six minutes later, David Garcia struck another beautiful header to trim the gap further and the jubilant celebrations by the home crowd were dampened.
The reigning European champions saw the rest of the game through and managed to take all three points.
#3 Casemiro was sorely missed
Despite the club president Florentino Perez stressing on the fact that they don’t need to make any new signings as it is “impossible to improve this squad”, Real Madrid may find it hard to cope in the absence of their midfield anchor Casemiro, as they did in this game.
The Brazilian was given an extended break by coach Zidane after his exertions in the World Cup qualifiers, but his absence was sorely felt as Madrid were caught off guard on numerous occasions late in the game and conceded two unnecessary goals.
Casemiro rose to prominence in the side last season and adds cover to the back four.
Without him, Madrid have serious problems at the back – as against Osanua – and the president’s parsimony may come back to bite them whenever Casemiro doesn’t play, as they have a transfer ban which does not allow them to make new signings until Jan 2018.
#4 A rare goal-fest for the Madrid defenders
It’s very rare to see defenders hog the limelight amid a flurry of goals, but Real Madrid’s back-line were the biggest contributors in the game as Danilo, Sergio Ramos and Pepe weighed in with three of the five goals scored.
Danilo took the initiative with a sumptuous strike that flew past two defenders, while skipper Ramos once again highlighted his aerial prowess with a blistering header. His defensive partner Pepe joined the party soon after the break to make it 4, as Madrid’s defence showed their attacking side.
Whilst they did retract towards the end of the game, which not only resulted in two goals for Osasuna, but also a penalty, their attacking instincts on show earlier in the match sufficed.
#5 Morata left frustrated again
Alvaro Morata certainly hasn’t had a memorable homecoming to Real Madrid, and his frustration has only boiled further after another fruitless outing.
The Spaniard started up front in place of the benched Karim Benzema and ran around much like a headless chicken throughout the evening. Morata could barely assert his influence on the game and was completely eclipsed amid the goal-glut.
The 23-year old did rack-up several shots at goal, a few even on target, but none could find the back of the net, much to his agony.
