Like an underdog story? Look no further than Sheffield United, Cagliari, Osasuna, Freiburg and AngersBy Martin Laurence for WhoScoredThe unpredictability of football was in evidence over the weekend as Manchester City, Juventus and Bayern Munich all dr…
With not much money but spirit to burn, the club are using footage of fan power to drive their La Liga returnBack in the summer, when the recently promoted Osasuna were building a squad for their return to La Liga, they sent videos to the players they …
With not much money but spirit to burn, the club are using footage of fan power to drive their La Liga returnBack in the summer, when the recently promoted Osasuna were building a squad for their return to La Liga, they sent videos to the players they …
Unexpected promotion meant Osasuna were always going to struggle in La Liga this season. Now, with 12 games still to go, that struggle seems over
Enrique Martín Monreal was in Madrid when his club called, the phone ringing as he headed back to the hotel from an awards ceremony held by Marca in early November. He hadn’t won – the award for the second division’s best manager in 2015-16 went to Leganés’s Asier Garitano – but he had been a candidate, having unexpectedly brought Osasuna back up to primera, and that was quite something. Besides, he was there representing the club and in the absence of the president, Luis Sabalza, who had a cold, there could be no one better. Represent the club? For many, especially in the stands at El Sadar, Enrique Martín was the club.
Gravelly-voiced and potty-mouthed, attitudes and hair from a different era, emotional and earthy, famous for tackling a player as he went up the touchline, there’s something about Martín they identify with, and he identifies with them. “I was born an Osasuna fan and I’ll be an Osasuna fan the day I snuff it,” he once said. Born in Pamplona, he came through the youth system to the first team. Five years later, Real Madrid came for him but Osasuna refused to sell, not least because fans wouldn’t let them, and he stayed for 11 years, later becoming technical secretary, youth team coach, B team coach, and first team coach. Twice. In 1996-97, he saved them from relegation from the second division and in 2015-15, he did the same.
Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga after winning a testing away match against Osasuna 3-1 on Saturday thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, the midfielder Isco and the substitute Lucas Vázquez.
Sergio León equalised Ronaldo’s 24th-minute opener in the 33rd minute after the defender Tano had been carried off with a double fracture of the leg.
• James Rodríguez scores in 16th consecutive league triumph
• Valencia lost at Athletic Bilbao to continue barren start
Real Madrid broke a club record as a fourth straight La Liga win of the campaign over Espanyol took them three points clear at the top.
Colombian playmaker James Rodríguez – who had been linked with a summer move away from the Estadio Bernabéu – marked his first start of the campaign with Real’s opener in a 2-0 victory, their 16th league triumph in a row to eclipse the previous best mark set in 1960-61.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his return from injury as Real Madrid thrashed promoted Osasuna 5-2 at the Bernabéu to equal the club’s 1960-61 record of 15 successive La Liga wins.
Ronaldo started the rout by knocking home an inviting cut-back from Gareth Bale in the sixth minute, with goals from Danilo and Sergio Ramos sending Madrid 3-0 up before the break. Pepe and Luka Modric were also on target before headers from Oriol Riera and David Garcia provided some consolation for the visitors, who saw Roberto Torres miss a 73rd-minute penalty and Cayetano Bonnín sent off in the 80th.
Sixty supporters treated on pitch after tumbling from stand Osasuna and Real Valladolid go down on final day Continue reading…
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• Barcelona 7-0 Osasuna
• Messi reaches 371 goals, surpassing Paulino Alcántara
Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick to surpass Paulino Alcántara’s record of 369 goals for Barcelona, as they warmed up for the Clásico with Real Madrid next weekend with a 7-0 victory over Osasuna that put them four points off the top of La Liga.
Barça knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League last Wednesday but went into the Osasuna clash on the back of two defeats from their past three league games. The Argentinian struck the opener after 18 minutes in a morale boosting victory for the Catalan side before the crunch game at the Bernabéu. Alexis Sánchez pounced to double the lead after 22 minutes and Andrés Iniesta hit a fine left-footed drive from 20 yards with little over half an hour gone.
Chances continued to come and go before Messi bagged another with a shot into the roof of the net from close range just after the hour before the substitute Cristian Tello scored with a powerful shot. Messi was given time in the area to add his third late on, his 18th of the season, and then he set-up Pedro to complete the rout in stoppage time.
The Brazilian Neymar was a surprise absentee from the starting line-up in a win that left Barça on 66 points from 28 matches, four behind Real and one behind Atlético Madrid who beat Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday.
Real Sociedad boosted their Champions League hopes as Imanol Agirretxe gave them a 1-0 win over Valencia which put them in fifth on 46 points.
It was their first win in three attempts and Valencia had more of the ball but they were missing their in-form striker Paco Alcacer through suspension and struggled to create chances.
Jonas did shoot wide for the visitors before the break but Agirretxe flicked a header into the top corner on the hour mark and Antoine Griezmann wasted the chance to give them a more comfortable win as he was denied by Diego Alves when through on goal.
Elsewhere Sevilla beat Valladolid 4-1 while Elche and Real Betis drew 0-0.
