Osasuna open the door for Barcelona as Real Madrid lose at El Sadar | OneFootball

Osasuna 2-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid have dropped points in La Liga for the first time in 2026, as they were defeated by Osasuna at a raucous El Sadar.

Alvaro Arbeloa opted to make three changes in defence, with Dani Carvajal, Raul Asencio and David Alaba brought in. All three haven’t played much of late, and alongside the rest of their teammates, they were caught cold in the first half as Osasuna had the better of the proceedings.

On 38 minutes, Osasuna deservedly took the lead, although it came in rather controversial circumstances. Ante Budimir was initially ruled to have dived inside the penalty area, but following an intervention from VAR, it was adjudged that Thibaut Courtois had fouled him, which led to a spot-kick being awarded. The Croatian striker took it, and as expected, he made no mistake.

Arbeloa would have been furious with his side at the interval, but his words did have an effect for the second half. Real Madrid were much better, and after going close with an Arda Guler strike from outside the penalty area, they got the equaliser when Fede Valverde crossed for Vinicius Junior to score for the fourth match in a row.

Image via Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Real Madrid pushed for the winner in the closing stages, but in the end, they were the ones caught out. Raul Moro played in fellow substitute Raul Garcia de Haro, who skipped away brilliantly from Raul Asencio before finishing beyond Courtois. The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR confirmed that the Osasuna number nine was behind the last defender.

Real Madrid can lose top spot on Sunday

The result lifts Osasuna to 9th, but as for Real Madrid, they could be about to lose their place at the top of the standings. A win for Barcelona, who host Levante on Sunday afternoon, would see them return to the summit.