Por Joe Rusling 
Real Madrid C.F. 4-0 C.A. Osasuna
In their first LaLiga game since being stunned by home losses to Barcelona and AC Milan, the first time since May 2009 that the club has suffered back-to-back defeats at the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid hit back with a dominant display against high-flying C.A. Osasuna.
Due to the tragic Valencia DANA, resulting in their match being subsequently called off last week, Los Blancos started the day a substantial 9 points behind league leaders Barcelona, and were under serious pressure to make up ground as quickly as possible. Osasuna, on the other hand, have been impressive this season finding themselves 5th in the table at kick-off, off the back of three consecutive victories in all competitions. Los Rojillos were table-toppers Barcelona’s only defeat of the season, suggesting this would be no easy encounter for Madrid. The Navarro outfit also welcomed back manager, Vicente Moreno to the bench after returning to his home town, Massanassa, to help and offer his support after the catastrophe caused by the DANA.
Madrid made three changes to the side that lost to AC Milan on Tuesday night, with Fran Garcia, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo coming in for Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni. These changes seemed to pay off, with Madrid starting brightly. The return of Rodrygo to the starting lineup after injury provided width on the right wing and Los Blancos seemed more creative and fluid in attack. On the left hand side, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Bellingham constantly rotated positions causing many problems for the Osasuna defence. Los Rojillos set up in a deep 4-3-3 formation but struggled to get into the game and create any meaningful chances in the first half.
A distraught Rodrygo was forced to leave the pitch with an injury after just 20 minutes after a lively start to the match. Brahim Diaz was his replacement, who continued to offer width on the right, in a notably more balanced Real Madrid lineup. Eder Militão also picked up a worrying looking injury in the 30th minute, and was replaced by the youthful, Raúl Asencio for his club debut.
In the first half, it was Jude Bellingham who impressed on the left-hand side with a very complete performance. Defensively apt, physically strong, rarely losing a battle all game, and brilliant on the ball. As well as this, he was looking to break the Osasuna backline throughout the first half, with many runs from deep midfield. The two goals in the first half displayed Bellingham’s brilliance and importance to the team. The first goal saw him win an aerial duel from a goal kick, before sliding in Vinicius Jr. for a trademark finish on 34 minutes. The second goal, in the 42nd minute, saw one of Bellingham’s excellent runs from deep, be picked out by Asencio, with an exquisite pass from the young man, who looked very comfortable on his debut as he looks to stake a claim for the centre back spot in the starting XI, should Militão’s injury be long term. Bellingham finished off the pass with a delightful chip over Sergio Herrera. The famous celebration returned for the first time at the Bernébeu since May, and ‘Hey Jude’ rang around the stadium once more.
At halftime, the only complaint Madrid could’ve had, other than the injuries to the Brazilian duo, was things still weren’t quite clicking for Kylian Mbappe. However, in the second half, he came out much better, looking confident, driving at players down the left-hand side, and showing glimpses of the Mbappe we have known for his national side and PSG, throughout his career. The fans responded to this, chanting his name on multiple occasions during the second half. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t quite grab the goal he would’ve been craving, but he, along with the rest of the Real Madrid team played with a sense of freedom during the second half, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
Lunin, who is currently playing due to the injury of Thibaut Courtois, showcased his excellent distribution throughout the match, and got his reward with an assist for Vinicius Jr.’s second of the game, as the Brazilian ran onto and stayed composed, rounding the keeper, after a beautiful pass from the Ukranian goalkeeper.
The 4-0 rout was rounded off by Vinicius’ hat-trick goal after a mistake by Osasuna defender, Boyomo, losing the ball carelessly to Brahim Diaz, who unselfishly put the ball on a plate to Vinicius to complete his hat trick.
Overall, it was a much needed return to winning ways for Los Blancos, who will hope they have found “el equilibrio” that Carlo Ancelotti has been talking about all season. For Osasuna, it was an afternoon to forget amidst their overachieving performance so far this year. Real Madrid return after the international break with the short trip to Leganés, where they will hope to continue what they displayed today.
Joe Rusling – joerusling@hotmail.co.uk