Brave Osasuna Expose a Fading Real Madrid
Real Madrid started brightly but faded badly as a gutsy Osasuna side grew into the game and showed they weren't just there to make up the numbers.
Real Madrid looked like they meant business early on — then, as if someone pulled the plug, they didn’t.
A Flyer of a Start
For the first quarter of an hour or so, Madrid were genuinely impressive. The press was high, aggressive, and suffocating — Osasuna couldn’t get out of their own half and looked absolutely pinned back. It had all the hallmarks of a comfortable afternoon at the Bernabéu.
- Vinicius was lively and drawing multiple defenders, creating space elsewhere
- Mbappé was lurking, doing that thing where you can’t quite ignore him
- The intensity was there, even if the clinical edge was missing
You got the sense it was just a matter of time before the opener arrived. Madrid were doing what Madrid are supposed to do.
The Wheels Come Off
Then, around the 15-minute mark, something shifted. The press dropped, the urgency evaporated, and Osasuna — credit where it’s due — started finding their feet. The visitors began to work their way out from the back, get a foothold in midfield, and, crucially, show they’d come to actually play rather than just park the bus and hope for the best.
This is the bit that should concern Carlo Ancelotti. It’s one thing to start slow and find your rhythm. It’s another to start fast, lose that rhythm, and then never really find it again. Osasuna aren’t a bad side, but they’re not the sort of team that should be growing in confidence as a match progresses when you’re Real Madrid.
The Bigger Picture
There’s a pattern forming with this Madrid side that’s hard to ignore:
- Bright openings that suggest the old ruthlessness is still there
- Puzzling dips in intensity that let opponents back into games they have no right to be in
- Over-reliance on individual moments rather than sustained collective pressure
Vinicius working hard and Mbappé floating about is all well and good, but if the team structure collapses the moment the initial press fades, you’ve got a proper problem on your plates.
Osasuna deserve enormous credit for their attitude. They didn’t roll over, they didn’t sit deep and hope — they went toe-to-toe and made Madrid uncomfortable. That takes bottle, especially at the Bernabéu.
Verdict
Madrid were the better side for roughly 15 minutes. After that, it was a much more even affair than the name on the teamsheet would suggest. If Los Blancos are going to mount a serious title charge — or go deep in Europe — they need to find a way to sustain that early-game intensity for more than a quarter of an hour. Right now, they’re a team of two halves within a single half, and that’s not good enough at this level.
Osasuna, meanwhile, will leave with their heads held high. Proper effort from the Navarrans.