Castilla's home frustration as 10-man Osasuna nick a point
Real Madrid's reserves fail to capitalize on numerical advantage at the Di Stéfano as César Palacios' screamer is cancelled out by opportunistic Osasuna equalizer.
A night of missed opportunities for Real Madrid Castilla who couldn’t make their numerical advantage count against Osasuna Promesas, drawing 1-1 despite playing against 10 men for half the match at the Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Red card changes the complexion
After a sluggish opening half-hour where López de Lerma’s lads struggled to break down a well-organized Osasuna side, the match sparked into life when Mikel Serrano was shown a straight red in the 41st minute for a nasty challenge on Yáñez. The visitors’ bench pleaded for a review, but the referee was having none of it.
The numerical advantage immediately paid dividends for the hosts. Just before the half-time whistle, César Palacios curled an absolute pearler into the top corner after some slick build-up play involving Thiago Pitarch and Cestero.
Schoolboy error costs Castilla
With a one-goal lead and an extra man, Castilla looked to be cruising. But football’s a funny old game, innit? Six minutes after the restart, Valdepeñas had an absolute nightmare at the back, dithering on the ball as the last man. Arroyo pounced, nicked possession, and calmly slotted past Fran González to level things up.
From that point on, it was attack versus defense as Osasuna dropped deep, happy to nick a point in the circumstances. Their keeper Rafa Fernández was in inspired form, making several top-drawer saves to deny the increasingly desperate home side.
Chances aplenty but no cigar
Yáñez was the star man for Castilla in the second half, giving the Osasuna defense the runaround but just couldn’t find the finish. Substitutes Mesonero and Leiva also came close, while David Jiménez tested the keeper from distance.
For all their possession and chances, Castilla’s finishing let them down - a recurring theme that’s hampering their progress this season. The result leaves López de Lerma still searching for that elusive victory and his team sliding down the Primera RFEF table.
Osasuna, meanwhile, will be over the moon with a point earned through defensive discipline and opportunism. As they say in the East End, they proper done a job on the Madrid youngsters.