Can Osasuna Shock Real Madrid While Atletico Madrid Dominates Espanyol in La Liga?
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Key Takeaways
Madrid, Feb 22 (NationPress) The reign of Real Madrid atop La Liga may come to an end if FC Barcelona secures a victory against Levante at home on Sunday. This follows Real Madrid's remarkable eight-game winning streak being halted by a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna.
The Pamplona side displayed an impressive performance in 2026, culminating in Ante Budimir scoring the opening goal in the 38th minute after a foul by Thibaut Courtois led to a penalty kick, which the Croatian converted successfully.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr managed to equalize in the 73rd minute, aided by a brilliant play from Fede Valverde. However, in a dramatic finish, Raul Garcia clinched victory for Osasuna with a late goal, skillfully evading the offside trap and curling the ball into the far corner, igniting euphoric celebrations among the El Sadar Stadium crowd.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid bounced back from an early setback to achieve a 4-2 victory against Espanyol at home.
Espanyol initially took the lead through Jofre Carreras within just five minutes, but Alexander Sorloth leveled the score in the 20th minute. Giuliano Simeone then put Atletico in the lead shortly after halftime, followed by Ademola Lookman contributing the third goal in the 57th minute.
Sorloth scored again, making it two for him, before Edu Exposito managed to reduce the deficit for Espanyol ten minutes before the final whistle.
Real Betis faced a setback in their quest for a top-four finish, settling for a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano in a match marked by two VAR consultations that extended the second half to 59 minutes.
Cedric Bakambu opened the scoring for Betis in the 16th minute, capitalizing on a mistake by Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla. However, Rayo equalized before halftime through Isi Palazon.
Despite two lengthy VAR checks regarding potential fouls in the penalty area, no penalties were awarded.
In a thrilling contest, Eric Bailly salvaged a point for Oviedo with a late header in a 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad. After Federico Vinas scored twice early in the second half, Sociedad responded with goals from Orri Oskarsson and Duje Caleta-Car, before Oskarsson netted a second goal late on. Bailly's header in the 92nd minute ensured Oviedo shared the spoils, with Goncalo Guedes hitting the post in the dying moments of the match.