The old saying is, ‘when it rains, it pours’, and nothing could have been more applicable to Real Madrid’s performance on Saturday night in rain-drenched Pamplona. Their 0-0 draw versus Osasuna played all but assures that the La Liga crown will not be staying a second consecutive year at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With Cristiano Ronaldo absent, Real Madrid looked decidedly ordinary against an Osasuna side which deserved greater reward for its drive and intensity. ‘Los Blancos’ finished a man down, with Kaká sent off after just 18 minutes on the field of play.
Real Madrid was incapable of scoring a single goal against the last-placed side in the Spanish first division, although it is worth noting that Osasuna is one of the teams which have conceded the fewest goals this season. To make things worse, Madrid barely demonstrated the ability to create any danger at all, initially with Higuaín and later with Benzema.
Not even the absences of Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Sergio Ramos can justify the dire show put on by José Mourinho’s team at the Reyno de Navarra. The visitors showed a lack of creativity and poor finishing, dropping two points which could well leave them even further adrift of Barcelona.
Referee Clos Gómez sent off Kaká for his second yellow card on 75 minutes and disallowed a goal by Callejón moments later, when the Madrid player was offside by a whisker.
Real fail to impress without Cristiano
