Real Madrid Beat Resilient Osasuna Side in La Liga, Karim Benzema Has 2 Penalties Saved in the Second Half

• Osasuna started much the stronger side but found themselves trailing Real Madrid 2-1 at the break
• David Alaba and Marco Asensio both scored after the ball deflected into their paths from the keeper’s save
• Karim Benzema missed the chance to score twice in the second half as he had two penalties saved

A mixture of bad luck and self-imposed mistakes led to Osasuna suffering a 2-1 loss against Real Madrid.

Osasuna started on the front foot, pressing Madrid and rushing them into making mistakes. The hosts had a few half-chances in the first 10 minutes but found themselves behind at the 12th-minute mark.

David Alaba latched on to a Karim Benzema cross, but his initial shot was deflected away by Osasuna keeper, Sergio Herrera. Unfortunately, he deflected it back into the path of Alaba who managed to get enough contact on it to score.

Real Madrid had little time to celebrate as Osasuna hit back immediately. Ezequiel Avila whipped in a cross which Ante Budimir dispatched into the net at the back post. Osasuna took the lead through Budimir just after the half-hour mark but the goal was disallowed as Budimir was found to be offside.

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Madrid would then strike on the stroke of halftime, taking the lead through Marco Asensio. Dani Ceballos had a shot saved by Herrera but once again the ball was deflected into the path of a Real Madrid player. The ball landed at the feet of Asensio who made no mistake from close range.

The second half was a much different story as Real Madrid dominated proceedings. Los Blancos played most of the half in Osasuna’s half but failed to capitalise on their chances. Goalscoring machine, Karim Benzema, missed two golden opportunities to take his total to 40 goals in 40 games. The French forward had two penalties saved by Herrera within seven minutes of each other. Even the commentators noted that Osasuna were their own worst enemy as they gave three penalties in quick succession, one that was overturned by the Video Assistant Referee.

Osasuna has a few mini attempts to level the game in the second half with Budimir proving to be their biggest weapon. The Croatian could not get a second goal though. Osasuna pushed right till the end in search of an equaliser but Madrid killed off the game in extra time. Vinicius Jr tore down the flank and found Lucas Vazquez in the middle. Vazquez hit it the first time to find the corner of the net and give Madrid a 3-1 win.

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Osasuna face a tough task when they host Real Madrid, Los Blancos look to inch closer to La Liga league title

Real Madrid are on the verge of clinching another La Liga title but are not taking anything for granted with six games to go. Los Blancos travel to Osasuna, knowing they hold a 15 point lead over their nearest challengers, Barcelona, Sports Brief reported.

The BBC reported that Barcelona missed out on a chance to close that gap to 12 points when Cadiz defeated them in their last game. Barcelona does have a game in hand over Real Madrid, though.

On the other hand, Osasuna find themselves in the middle of the pack of the La Liga table. The club find themselves fighting with Athletic Club and Valencia for eighth, ninth and tenth.