On matchday 18 of Spanish football, Real Madrid needed to win on their visit to Osasuna to continue fighting for first place. In the middle of a packed field invaded by snow, Zinedine Zidane’s men had the return of Eden Hazard to the starting eleven.
The first, and only, emotion of the initial 45 minutes would arrive at the minute of the game. Osasuna made a corner kick in favor that Oier headed at the near post and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved on the line.
Both Luka Modric and Eden Hazard were the most incisive men in the merengue attack, but in each approach the final point was needed. In fact, the Croatian tried to violate the visiting gate with a pure dribble about half an hour of play, but in front he had an impenetrable wall. On the other hand, Osasuna appealed only to what Jontahan Calleri could achieve in solitude and the ball still.
With the passing of the minutes, the game was decreasing in intensity, even more, due to several factors: imprecision of both teams, the complicated conditions of the terrain and the defensive order of the local team.
So it all ended without much emotion. Those of Zidane came four times to the opposite field but without clear shots on goal, while those of Arrasate managed to shoot once.
The second part began with total vertigo. First it was Hazard with an individual play that almost culminated Karim Benzema after a very dangerous pass back, then Calleri responded with a distant shot without problems for Courtois and later Marco Asensio shot to place from the front of the area, but Sergio Herrera controlled.
At minute 61, Real Madrid was able to take the lead, but the linesman complicated everything. Hazard and Toni Kroos met on the left wing, the German opted to send a cross into the box and Benzema, running over his rivals, managed to score. Unfortunately for him, the play was canceled out of place.
Zidane’s men were gradually tilting the field thanks to the entry of Fede Valverde, Isco and Mariano Díaz. Osasuna, who could not give advantages in defense, had to wait for a counterattack.
The Madrid team beat Herrera’s goal, but was again penalized out of place. Kroos enabled Benzema with an excellent high pass and the Frenchman assisted Sergio Ramos who defined with the empty goal. Second goal play canceled.
Thus, Madrid starred in a pale 0-0 draw against Osasuna and lost ground at the top of the table. He could not win, he will not be a pointer and Atlético can take three points ahead of him.
.
