Real Madrid registered a commanding 3-1 victory against Osasuna in La Liga to take another step towards the league title.
Real Madrid came into the encounter fully aware that a win would take them 18 points ahead of second-placed Barcelona, who had fallen to Cadiz on Monday. And Los Blancos delivered to come out with three points but not before a hiccup that saw Karim Benzema miss two penalties.
Real Madrid opened the scoring through David Alaba in the 12th minute, but the travelling side equalised just a minute later through Ante Budimir. The home side took the lead at the stroke of half-time through Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid had the opportunity to increase their lead twice within seven minutes as back-to-back Karim Benzema penalties were saved by Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera. That did not derail Madrid’s charge, however, as an injury-time strike from Lucas Vazquez gave them all three points at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid next face Espanyol in La Liga, but before that, there is the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg to take care of. Los Blancos travel to Manchester to face Manchester City in the first leg of their tie on Tuesday, April 26. Here’s how each Real Madrid player fared in the 3-1 win over Osasuna.
? @MrAncelotti: "We are already focused on the semi-final. I think we will arrived with a good dynamic. The team is fine, it's motivated, and it's committed."#OsasunaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/Q5nWArxRgk
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) April 20, 2022
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
Thibaut Courtois looked jittery on the ball and was wayward with his passing at times. But he made two saves in the encounter, one of which was quite crucial and came early in the second half to stop Osasuna from equalising again.
Lucas Vazquez: 8/10
The right-back got onto the scoresheet to cap off an engrossing encounter between the two sides. Vazquez performed at both ends of the pitch. Defensively, he made three clearances, blocked a shot and completed five tackles. He also won eight ground duels, and four of his six long balls found his teammates.
(つ▀¯▀)つ ⊂(▀¯▀⊂) pic.twitter.com/QjhKt2aRwS
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) April 20, 2022
Eder Militao: 6/10
The centre-back should have done much better to stop Osasuna’s equaliser as the driven cross went through his legs, allowing Ante Budimir to slot into an open goal. Militao made three clearances, two interceptions and blocked a shot.
David Alaba: 7/10
Alaba reacted quickly to get something on the rebound to open the scoring for Real Madrid. He also took a long-range shot which was saved by Herrera acrobatically. The former Bayern Munich man made one interception and also played a key pass.
Nacho: 6/10
Not a great night for the Real Madrid left-back. He could have done better to stop the cross from being played in for Osasuna’s goal. He was more comfortable playing as a centre-back after Alaba was taken off.
Federico Valverde: 6/10
Valverde ran his socks off, but there was not much he created going forward. Defensively, he blocked a shot and made two tackles. He also played one key pass, but there was not much else to write home about.
Eduardo Camavinga: 8/10
Camavinga had another solid night in the middle of the park. It was the youngster’s audacious long ball that led to Marco Asensio’s goal. Six of his seven long balls found his teammates, while both of his dribble attempts were successful.
Dani Ceballos: 7/10
Ceballos was enterprising with his passing and played a crucial part in Real Madrid’s opening goal. He also was not shy of attempting shots on the Osasuna goal, taking six of them. Ceballos also played a key pass.
Marco Asensio: 7/10
☝️ Where are we on the table, Marco? ☝️ pic.twitter.com/Hr2yytjvMT
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) April 20, 2022
Asensio scored Real Madrid’s second goal at the stroke of half-time to give them some breathing space going into the second half. But he did not offer much otherwise. He completed three of four attempted long balls and won two ground duels.
Karim Benzema: 6/10
A rare off night for the Frenchman, who missed twice from the spot. Both his penalties were in the same direction and were conveniently saved by the Osasuna shot-stopper. Otherwise, Benzema was his usual self, terrorising the Osasuna defence and playing a crucial role in Real Madrid’s opening goal.
Rodrygo Goes: 7/10
The Brazilian youngster was full of running on the left flank and took on Osasuna defenders at will. Both the Real Madrid penalties were earned by Rodrygo, but unfortunately, Benzema failed to convert both.
? Rodrygo reaches ? matches with @realmadriden!#RealFootball pic.twitter.com/aexzQ80n4k
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) April 20, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Dani Carvajal: 7/10
Carvajal came on for Alaba right after half-time and slotted in as the left-back. He was strong defensively, making two clearances, two interceptions and three tackles.
Toni Kroos: 6/10
Kroos came on for Ceballos in the 71st minute and completed all of his passes.
Isco: 6/10
Isco came on for Camavinga in the 74th minute and played a key pass along with creating a big chance.
Vinicius Junior: 7/10
Vinicius assisted Real Madrid’s third goal of the night after coming on in the 90th minute.
