Xabi Alonso's debut La Liga campaign as manager of Real Madrid began with a narrow 1-0 victory over Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu. The lone goal came courtesy of a Kylian Mbappé penalty in the second half.
Real Madrid dominated possession, controlling 70% of the game, but struggled to break down Osasuna's defense. Osasuna, under their new head coach Alessio Lisci, set up defensively, making it difficult for Real Madrid to find clear scoring opportunities. In the first half, Real Madrid had difficulty converting their possession into goals, concluding the half with only 0.33 expected goals (xG) from 10 shots, despite holding 78% of the possession. Aurélien Tchouaméni had one of the best chances in the first half, forcing a save from Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera. Mbappé also had a chance, curling a shot just wide of the post.
Early in the second half, Mbappé made a run into the penalty area and was fouled by Juan Cruz. Mbappé calmly converted the resulting penalty, giving Real Madrid the lead in the 51st minute. Lisci, Osasuna's coach, received a booking for protesting the decision. Real Madrid continued to control the game after the goal, but struggled to create many clear-cut chances. New signing Franco Mastantuono, who came on as a substitute, had a shot saved by Herrera. Osasuna nearly equalized late in the game when Ante Budimir headed over the crossbar.
In the end, Mbappé's penalty was enough to secure the win for Real Madrid. Osasuna ended the game with 10 men after Abel Bretones was sent off for a late challenge on Gonzalo García. While the victory was not emphatic, it marked a successful start to Alonso's tenure and the La Liga season. Alonso acknowledged the positives of the result, while also noting the team still needed to improve to find stability.
Alonso started the match with new signings Álvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Dean Huijsen. Another new signing, Franco Mastantuono, came off the bench in the second half. Alonso praised the new players, saying that they all performed well and would be helpful to the team in the years to come.
