Real Madrid fell 2-1 to Manchester City in a tense Champions League clash at the Bernabéu, but Xabi Alonso praised his squad's relentless effort. Rodrygo's early strike gave Los Blancos hope, only for City's quickfire goals from a corner and penalty to flip the script in ten crucial minutes. Alonso's post-match words highlighted performance over the scoreline, signaling resilience amid mounting pressures. The Match Unfolds: A Tale of Two Halves Real Madrid burst out of the blocks, capitalizing on home advantage with Rodrygo's opener that set an aggressive tone against a City side known for their clinical finishing. Alonso noted the team's positive start and chance creation, but lamented defensive lapses during a pivotal ten-minute spell where City scored twice from set-pieces—a corner converted ruthlessly and a penalty dispatched with precision. Despite the reversal, Madrid pushed forward, generating opportunities but lacking the killer edge in front of goal, f...
After Osasuna defeated Barcelona 4-2 on Saturday despite having just 25% of the ball, Barcelona's undefeated record in La Liga is ended.
Given that Barcelona had won all eight of their previous La Liga visits to El Sadar, it ought to have been an easy victory. Osasuna, however, had a surprise in store.
It eventually came back to haunt manager Hansi Flick when he started a few young players, such as Pau Víctor, Pablo Torre, Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, and Sergi Domínguez.
Under Flick, Barcelona has only conceded 5 goals in La Liga, while they have scored 4!
After scoring on the counter both times, the hosts took advantage of a 17- and 19-year-old center-back combination to take a commanding 2-0 lead in just 28 minutes. After forty minutes, Barcelona, on the other hand, had no shots.
After arriving late in the box, Bryan Zaragoza ran ahead and past goalkeeper Iñaki Peña Sotorres from a tight angle, surpassing Ante Budimir as the club's all-time La Liga scorer.
Minutes into the second half, Barcelona must have had a blistering conversation during halftime, suggesting that the comeback was imminent. Víctor's unexpected strike wobbled badly and sent Sergio Herrera to sleep, winning 2-1.
But even with Flick bringing on big guns Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, Barcelona was unable to muster any meaningful offensive play and lost three times in a row when they broke. On his record-breaking night, Budimir secured a brace while Domínguez gave up a penalty.
Furthermore, Osasuna's historic victory was sealed when substitute Abel Bretones scored from long range after depriving the Spain prodigy of the ball, even if Yamal ultimately reached the upper right corner on his own.
As a result of their first home victory over Barcelona in twelve years, Osasuna now sits sixth in the table. If Real Madrid defeats Atletico Madrid on Sunday, they will trail Barcelona by one point.
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