Real Madrid 1-1 Osasuna: 5 Hits and Flops as Karim Benzema and co. endure a frustrating night | La Liga 2022-23

Real Madrid were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday, October 2.

Los Blancos defeated arch-rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their last game, with Rodrygo and Federico Valverde scoring to secure all three points. The win extended their perfect record to six wins from as many games.

Carlo Ancelotti handed starts to the in-form pair of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior. Valverde started from the bench alongside Eduardo Camavinga, looking to capitalize if given a chance as a substitute. Madrid knew a win would take them above Barcelona to the top spot in the table.

📋✅ Our starting XI 🆚 @osasuna_en!
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Both sides made slightly nervy starts in offense, but were rigid and strong in their tackles while defending. Unai Garcia and Lucas Torro made some strong challenges on Real Madrid's midfielders early in the game. Kike Garcia tried to get as involved as he could with the game.

Toni Kroos and David Alaba made great starts for the hosts and looked composed on the ball as they were the chief distributors. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior created several opportunities in attack but failed to convert them. It wasn't until the 42nd minute that Vinicius scored with a curling effort to make it 1-0. Real Madrid maintained their one-goal lead heading into the break.

⏸️ HT: @realmadriden 1-0 @osasuna_en
⚽ @vinijr 42'
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Having shown signs of threatening in the first half, Kike Garcia stunned the Santiago Bernabeu into silence a few minutes after the restart. Unai Garcia played an inviting ball into the box which Kike met with the back of head to loft it past Andriy Lunin. It was quite a remarkable equalizer for Osasuna.

Benzema seemed to have a late opportunity to make amends for his squandered chances as he earned himself a penalty. However, he blazed it onto the crossbar and out of play as the score remained tied. He was offside by a whisker a few minutes later and had his goal disallowed despite a good finish.

Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Osasuna. That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.

#5. Hit - Toni Kroos

The German midfielder put on yet another clinic in central midfield as he showed his creativity and precision while distributing the ball. He also dribbled the ball into key areas to help Real Madrid advance forward.

He played two key passes, two accurate crosses and a remarkable 12 accurate long balls. He also won his only duel and made two interceptions.

#4. Flop - David Garcia

Osasuna did really well to match Real Madrid's intensity for the majority of the game, especially after falling behind under unfortunate circumstances just before half-time. However, all their hard work was put in severe danger by Garcia, who fouled Benzema in the penalty area to give away a penalty.

Benzema made a run into the box and controlled the ball with his chest while swiveling. Garcia took a couple of steps closer to the Frenchman and pushed him to the ground. He was given a straight red following a VAR review.

#3. Hit - Kike Garcia

Kike was a livewire for the visitors and scored a lovely equalizer for his side. He had his back to goal, but still rose to meet the cross and guided it into the goal in a looping trajectory. He attempted two shots, scoring from his only shot on target. He also played one key pass and won three of his six duels. He also ended the contest as the MVP of the match.

#2. Flop - Andriy Lunin

Thibaut Courtois' shoes are by no means easy to fill, both literally and figuratively speaking. Lunin was brought into the lineup in the Belgian's place, who suffered an injury in the build-up to this game.

He lacks awareness and his positioning seemed to allow Osasuna to score a freak goal to level things up just after the half-time break.

#1. Hit - Vinicius Junior

Whenever Real Madrid are in a tough spot and Benzema is struggling to get going, Vinicius invariably steps up and does the job for his side. After a largely frustrating first period, the Brazilian scored with a lovely curling effort that bamboozled the visitors' defense.