By Jose Benjamin De Leon Castillo

Three Points and Three Injuries: Real Madrid's Bittersweet Victory

The Santiago Bernabéu was buzzing with anticipation. The fans, still reeling from the defeats against Barcelona and Milan, craved a strong reaction from their team. Ancelotti, seeking solidity and fluidity, fielded his classic 4-3-3: Lunin; Lucas Vázquez, Militao, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinícius Jr. 

Osasuna, with a similar approach, lined up with: Sergio Herrera; Areso, Catena, Boyomo, Bretones; Torró, Moncayola; Rubén Peña, Aimar Oroz, Bryan Zaragoza; and Budimir.

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Real Madrid dominated possession but lacked penetration. Osasuna, well organised, made it difficult to create chances. The first opportunity came in the 14th minute with a shot from Rodrygo that Herrera saved. 

In the 20th minute, Rodrygo was injured and replaced by Brahim Díaz. Then misfortune struck again for Madrid: Militao, clutching his knee in pain, left the field in the 30th minute, with Raúl Asencio coming on. 

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Despite the setbacks, Real Madrid took the lead in the 34th minute. Camavinga won the ball back, Bellingham provided the assist and Vinícius Jr. finished with a cross-shot. The Bernabéu erupted in joy. 

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In the 42nd minute, a long pass from Asencio found Bellingham, who delicately chipped Herrera to make it 2-0. Before half-time, Lucas Vázquez was also injured and replaced by Modric.

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Real Madrid came out after half-time with the intention of killing the game off and erasing any doubts raised by their recent defeats. Mbappé, more active than in the first half, started to cause problems with his electric runs down the left wing. The Frenchman, desperate to score his first goal for the club, tried to link up with Vinícius Jr. to create chances. However, it was the Brazilian who once again took centre stage. In the 61st minute, following a corner for Osasuna, Lunin caught the ball confidently and sent a precise long pass to Vinícius Jr. The Brazilian, with his blistering pace, outstripped Areso and, faced with Herrera coming out, finished with a cross-shot that found the back of the net. The Bernabéu roared its approval at the exhibition from the number 7.

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Real Madrid, with the game practically won, continued to look for more goals, with Mbappé increasingly anxious to open his account. In the 69th minute, a serious error from Boyomo was seized upon by an opportunistic Brahim Díaz, who stole the ball and set Vinícius Jr. up to complete his hat-trick. “Vini”, with a beaming smile, celebrated with his teammates, aware of his outstanding performance. 4-0.

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With the game won, Ancelotti took the opportunity to bring on Arda Güler and Endrick in the 75th minute, looking to give Bellingham and Vinícius Jr. a rest and give the youngsters some minutes. Mbappé, who continued to desperately seek a goal, had a few chances but was not clinical in front of goal. “Donatello”, visibly frustrated, left the pitch with the feeling of having missed a good opportunity to get back on the scoresheet.