Real Madrid has closed the gap on La Liga leaders Barcelona to five points following a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Osasuna in front of a passionate home crowd.
Despite the relentless pressure from the opposition, Real managed to secure the win, even without their top scorer Karim Benzema, who was absent due to injury.
The first half was unsteady for Real, as they were forced to defend deep and play long balls towards Vinicius Jr, resulting in Carlo Ancelotti confronting the referee over the number of fouls committed on the forward.
However, Real improved significantly in the second half, and after Vinicius Jr’s goal was disallowed due to offside, Federico Valverde scored in the 78th minute, capitalizing on a Vinicius cut-back to secure the lead.
Vinicius Jr thought he had scored a goal when he tapped in a cross from 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez, but VAR ruled it out for offside in the build-up. However, Marco Asensio sealed the win for Real Madrid by scoring just a minute later, following a combination with Rodriguez.
Real Madrid is now in second place in the league table, having played a game more, and five points behind Barcelona. Osasuna, on the other hand, currently sit in the 10th position