After 44 minutes Osasuna were rolling, up two goals and a man thanks to Sergio Ramos' 18th career red card with Real Madrid. While it was a great start, they couldn't finish as conceded goals to Isco and Pepe as Madrid fought back to earn a draw in Pamplona.
Osasuna vs. Real Madrid: Final score 2-2, Merengues fight back for a draw
Madrid went down two goals and a man in the first half but they battled back to earn a draw against Osasuna.
The draw ends Madrid’s five-match winning streak.
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Madrid dominated the opening 15 minutes but couldn’t break through with a goal. Their best chance came in the 10th minute when Isco took the steam off a quick cross field pass with a clever back-heel, leaving the ball set up perfectly for Cristiano Ronaldo. His effort was poor though as he skipped the ball off the outside of the post.
As often happens when one team is on top for an extended period of time, the other side breaks through with a goal. Osasuna did just that in the 16th minute.
A perfectly placed cross from the right by Marc Bertrán found Oriol Riera who’d inexplicably been allowed to sit in a pocket of space between two defenders barely eight yards from the Madrid goal. Riera directed a header past Diego López -- who was hung out to dry by his defense -- into the top corner to give the home side the lead.
Things got physical from there as both teams decided that late tackles along with extended arms and elbows would be a good way to go about things. The referee wore out his yellow card, showing it seven times as the half rolled on.
In the 39th minute Madrid’s defensive disorder was again punished as Osasuna doubled their lead. López made an excellent diving save on the initial header from Damiá off a corner kick, but again his defense failed him allowing Riera to stand unmarked at the far post. The striker was more than happy to step up and head the rebound into the empty net.
Ronaldo missed another great chance in the 41st minute, curling a strike from 20-yards just over the crossbar. The ball was deemed to have been deflected, but Madrid could do nothing with the subsequent corner.
Less than a minute before the halftime whistle, Sergio Ramos left his arm out high and hit Roberto Torres in the face. The referee wasted no time showing the defender his second card of the half and sending him off. Ramos extends his club red card record to 18, though I doubt that’s a record he’ll be bragging about.
But Madrid responded immediately to going a man down and caught Osasuna sleeping a bit. Ronaldo’s run down the left drew the attention of four Osasuna players, leaving Isco alone at the top of the box. Ronaldo found him with a quick pass and Isco’s low curling shot got past a diving Andrés to pull Madrid back to 2-1.
Osasuna did an excellent job of keeping Madrid off the ball as much as possible in the second half, taking advantage of Ramos’ sending off. The third goal remained elusive though, as the Madrid defense looked better and López made a couple excellent saves as well.
They would rue those wasted opportunities.
Osasuna's Francisco Silva put his team's result in danger late in the match, picking up two yellow cards in four minutes, earning him a red card. Madrid wasted no time taking advantage and scored on the ensuing corner as Pepe powered over his defender at the far post and headed the ball past Andrés.
Osasuna: Andrés, Marc Bertrán, Arribas, Loties, Damiá; Silva, Lolo, Cejudo, Armenteros, Torres (Sanjurjo 76’), Riera (Omwu 86’)
Goals: Riera (16’, 39’)
Real Madrid: López; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modrić (Nacho 65’), Alonso; Bale (Di María 55’), Isco (Jese 84’), Ronaldo; Benzema
Goals: Isco (45’), Pepe (80’)
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