Real Madrid battle to victory over Osasuna & close gap at La Liga summit
By Max Cooper
Real Madrid lifted themselves to within two points of La Liga's summit on Saturday evening with a 2-0 victory over Osasuna, but they were made to work extremely hard by their dogged opponents at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Madrid knew they had to win to keep the pressure on Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, and they flew out of the traps accordingly, taking aim at the Osasuna goal. Los Blancos were particularly wasteful however, missing the target on a number of occasions, as the visitors managed to survive until half-time.
Zinedine Zidane's men didn't take their foot off the gas in the second half, with Eder Militao firing high and wide on the volley. Rodrygo took matters into his own hands with a mazy run and shot, but he dragged his effort slightly wide, as the nerves began to jangle in the Spanish capital.
It looked as if Madrid were destined to fall further behind leaders Atleti, but with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, the defending champions struck. Isco floated a corner into the heart of the penalty area, and Militao rose highest to plant a superb header into the top corner of Sergio Herrera's net.
The relief across Zidane's face was clear for all to see, as he punched the air with delight. Madrid controlled possession and swiftly killed the game on 80 minutes, albeit in freakish style.
Karim Benzema charged forward with the ball and tried to slip a pass through to Casemiro, but the Brazilian took an extremely heavy touch when entering the box.
However, the goalkeeper was fooled by the poor control, and the ball trickled apologetically past him and over the line, allowing Madrid to play out the final 10 minutes in comfort. Los Blancos now sit in second place, only two points behind Atleti with four games left to play.