Osasuna defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in La Liga on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at El Sadar in Pamplona, Spain, a result that boosts Barcelona’s position in the title race.
Ante Budimir scored from the penalty spot for Osasuna after a VAR review, and Raul Garcia added a second goal, according to reports from the match. Vinicius Junior scored for Real Madrid, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss.
Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, made a “godly save” in the first half, denying Osasuna’s Ruben Garcia with a close-range stop, but also conceded the penalty. Analysis of the match highlighted Courtois’s penalty-saving record as a potential weakness, with statistics showing he has conceded 31 of 37 penalties faced in La Liga, a save percentage of just 13%. He ranks 66th among La Liga goalkeepers with at least 20 penalties faced.
Dani Carvajal struggled defensively against Víctor Muñoz, and Raúl Asencio also had difficulties, although David Alaba was challenged by Budimir’s physicality. Álvaro Carreras was the strongest performer in the Real Madrid back line, according to player ratings. Aurélien Tchouaméni demonstrated strong counter-pressing, and Eduardo Camavinga played centrally but didn’t significantly impact the game.
Fede Valverde was one of Real Madrid’s best players, creating the goal with a driving run, and his substitution appeared to negatively affect the team’s performance. Kylian Mbappé had a poor finishing performance, and Vinícius Jr. Was a standout, repeatedly attempting to create danger. Trent Alexander-Arnold, making his debut, delivered a brilliant diagonal pass to Vinícius but faced defensive challenges.
Substitutions proved problematic for Real Madrid, with Gonzalo García misused after entering the game with limited touches, and Dani Ceballos delivering a particularly poor performance. The team’s structure was also questioned, with Brahim Díaz’s profile deemed slightly redundant given the other players on the pitch.
Real Madrid’s loss provides an advantage to Barcelona in the La Liga title race, though the exact implications for the standings were not immediately available.
