Kylian Mbappe grabbed the only goal of the game as ريال مدريد began their La Liga campaign with a sluggish showing against أوساسونا on Tuesday night. The French superstar converted from the spot shortly after half-time, which proved enough for an underwhelming 1-0 win at the Bernabeu for Los Blancos.
Madrid endured a rather slow start. Osasuna were happy to sit back and invite pressure, while the home side had few attacking ideas. Dean Huijsen provided Real’s best attempt of the first half, forcing a tidy save with a long-range effort.
Mbappe opened things up with a sublime piece of skill six minutes after the restart, cutting inside his man before being clipped in the box. The referee showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot – and the Frenchman rolled it home.
Los Blancos probed and prodded in search of a second. Arda Guler lashed one narrowly over and Mbappe caused problems on the right, but another goal never came, and Alonso seemed content to rotate as the minutes wound down. Just before the final whistle, Osasuna were reduced to 10 men after an off-the-ball incident.
BALLGM rates Real Madrid’s players from the Santiago Bernabeu…
Kylian Mbappe grabbed the only goal of the game as Real Madrid began their La Liga campaign with a sluggish showing against Osasuna on Tuesday night. The French superstar converted from the spot shortly after half-time, which proved enough for an underwhelming 1-0 win at the Bernabeu for Los Blancos.
Madrid endured a rather slow start. Osasuna were happy to sit back and invite pressure, while the home side had few attacking ideas. Dean Huijsen provided Real’s best attempt of the first half, forcing a tidy save with a long-range effort.
Mbappe opened things up with a sublime piece of skill six minutes after the restart, cutting inside his man before being clipped in the box. The referee showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot – and the Frenchman rolled it home.
Los Blancos probed and prodded in search of a second. Arda Guler lashed one narrowly over and Mbappe caused problems on the right, but another goal never came, and Alonso seemed content to rotate as the minutes wound down. Just before the final whistle, Osasuna were reduced to 10 men after an off-the-ball incident.
بالجم rates Real Madrid’s players from the Santiago Bernabeu…
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Didn’t have a save to make, but will take the clean sheet.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):
Par for the course. Pinged some ridiculous passes, but also fell asleep defensively on a few occasions. An passable 68 minutes.
Eder Militao (7/10):
Entrusted with a start as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. Didn’t have loads to do but kept it tidy.
Dean Huijsen (8/10):
Incredibly composed at the back and moved the ball wonderfully. Looks a real talent.
Alvaro Carreras (6/10):
Turned in a solid defensive showing and kept it safe when he had the ball.
Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
Sat at the base of midfield and added valuable cover. Circulated the ball effectively, but could have done with a bit more zip.
Federico Valverde (6/10):
A quiet showing, mostly because he spent most of the game covering for everyone else.
Arda Guler (7/10):
Used on the left side of a midfield trio. Poor in the first half, but was Madrid’s best player in the second, and unlucky not to score.
Brahim Diaz (5/10):
A few لطيف - جيد touches, but really needed to hold width on the right, and spent most of his time cutting inside.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Was the match winner without playing particularly well. Scored the only goal from the spot. Pressed a bit more willingly, but looked entirely lost positionally at times.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
A bit mixed, all said. Got involved in some really nice interplay, and almost set up a ridiculous Mbappe goal. But could have been a little more incisive.
Franco Mastantuono (7/10):
Turned in a really lively cameo, and was unfortunate not to grab a goal.
Dani Carvajal (6/10):
Offered energy and composure off the bench.
Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Dani Ceballos (N/A):
Introduced to proceedings late on.
Xabi Alonso (6/10):
Spent most of his time looking not very happy. Madrid weren’t very good here, but they have some excellent individuals, which proved to be enough.
