Vinicius Jr delivers a stunning hat-trick, but Madrid suffers injuries to Rodrygo, Militao, and Vazquez.

Vinicius Junior Shines as Real Madrid Thrash Osasuna 4-0

In a commanding display at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius Junior stole the show with a stunning hat-trick as Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory over CA Osasuna. This win marks a much-needed return to form for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who had faced a challenging few weeks.

The match began on a shaky note for Real Madrid, who were forced to contend with the early departures of both Rodrygo and Eder Militao due to injury. Despite these setbacks, the home side found their rhythm and took the lead in the 34th minute. Vinicius Junior, showcasing his trademark pace and precision, thumped the ball past Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera to put Madrid ahead.

Just before half-time, Jude Bellingham doubled the advantage for the hosts. The England international latched onto a long pass from Raul Asencio, deftly lifting the ball over Herrera to send the Madrid faithful into raptures.

The second half saw Vinicius continue his fine form, scoring his second goal of the afternoon in the 60th minute. A long pass from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin found the Brazilian, who made no mistake in finishing the move. Just eight minutes later, Vinicius completed his hat-trick, capitalising on a mistake from Osasuna’s Flavien Boyomo. After Brahim Diaz dispossessed the defender in the penalty area, he laid the ball off for Vinicius, who finished from close range.

This emphatic victory propels Real Madrid to 27 points in La Liga, leaving them six points adrift of leaders Barcelona, who are set to face Real Sociedad tomorrow.

A Step in the Right Direction

Today’s match was a potential banana skin for Real Madrid, but they navigated it with professionalism and poise. Coming off two consecutive defeats—4-0 against Barcelona and 3-1 against AC Milan—Madrid entered the match with just a three-point cushion over Osasuna, who had been in fine form with 21 points from their first 12 matches.

The win is crucial for Los Blancos as they look to close the gap on Barcelona, although the task remains daunting even at this early stage of the season. With the international break approaching, Ancelotti’s men can take heart from this performance, knowing they have taken a significant step in the right direction.

Player of the Match: Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior was simply unplayable today. His opening goal set the tone for the match, and he followed it up with two more expertly taken finishes in the second half. The Brazilian completed seven of his 12 dribbles, made two key passes, and won 12 duels, showcasing his all-around contribution to the team’s success. A truly outstanding performance deserving of a perfect 10.

Player Ratings

*Real Madrid:*
Lunin 8, Vazquez 7, Militao 6, Rudiger 7, Garcia 7, Valverde 7, Camavinga 7, Bellingham 8, Rodrygo 7, Mbappe 6, Vini Jr 10.
Subs: Modric 7, Diaz 7, Asencio 7, Guler 6, Endrick 6.

*Osasuna:*
Herrera 6, Bretones 6, Boyomo 5, Catena 6, Areso 6, Moncayola 6, Torro 6, Oroz 6, Zaragoza 6, Budimir 6, Pena 6.
Subs: Garcia 6, Gomez 6, Ruben Garcia 6, Munoz 6, Anraiz 6.