CA Osasuna extended their impressive La Liga form with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Real Madrid CF at El Sadar, stretching their unbeaten league run to six matches (W4, D2) and halting Los Blancos’ eight-game winning streak.
Despite dominating possession early on, with over 70% of the ball, Madrid struggled to translate control into clear-cut chances.
The contest sparked into life after a feisty sequence of challenges involving Vinícius Júnior ignited the home crowd, shifting the momentum in Osasuna’s favour.
Ante Budimir soon tested Thibaut Courtois with a curling effort that narrowly missed the target.
The Croatian forward continued to torment the visitors, forcing a superb one-handed save from the Belgian goalkeeper before glancing a header against the post.
Madrid threatened sporadically through Vinícius’ flair, Kylian Mbappé’s low drive and a thunderous strike from David Alaba, but it was Osasuna who struck first.
Courtois was ruled to have brought down Budimir in the box, and the striker calmly converted from the penalty spot to give the hosts a deserved lead.
The second half began at a frantic pace, though chances remained limited. Arda Güler came close with a fierce right-footed strike, while Madrid sought renewed urgency through their substitutions, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose introduction added fresh impetus.
Mbappé thought he had restored parity with a sublime finish into the top corner, only for the offside flag to cut celebrations short.
Moments later, Federico Valverde’s surging run created a golden opportunity for Vinícius, but Osasuna’s defence held firm, with Javi Galán producing a crucial block to deny Mbappé soon after.
Just when Madrid appeared to be regaining control, Osasuna delivered the decisive blow. In the dying moments, Raúl García produced a brilliant solo finish to seal a famous victory.
The defeat not only snapped Madrid’s long-standing dominance in this fixture, a 24-game unbeaten run against Los Rojillos stretching back to 2011, but also hands rivals FC Barcelona a golden opportunity to move above them in the title race when they take on Levante UD on Sunday.
