On Saturday, Real Madrid suffered a bitter defeat in Pamplona, with Dani Ceballos taking responsibility for it. But he was by no means the only one to blame at the Royal Club.
There are days when you wish you hadn’t gotten out of bed. Dani Ceballos experienced one such day on Saturday during Real’s defeat at El Sadar in Pamplona – even though the 29-year-old had only come on as a substitute in the 82nd minute.
However, his fatal loss of possession in midfield eight minutes later led to Real’s third defeat of the season. Admittedly, the Royals didn’t play particularly cleverly in the aftermath, especially Raul Asencio. The defender stood too deep behind the back four, preventing goalscorer Raul from being offside. He then allowed himself to be too easily outplayed by the Osasuna attacker with a hook, before the substitute skillfully found the net.
But Ceballos took the blame for the late knockout. “I take responsibility,” he wrote via X, along with an emoji asking for forgiveness and a photo of the encounter. To make matters worse, Ceballos also suffered a muscle injury in his right calf during his few minutes on the pitch and will miss the Champions League play-off second leg against Benfica Lisbon as well as the Madrid derby against Getafe.
There was also much discussion about the penalty that led to Osasuna’s 1-0 lead. Referee Quintero Gonzalez initially ruled that Budimir had dived, but then had to reverse his decision and pointed to the spot. The former St. Pauli striker took the penalty himself and converted it confidently.
Arbeloa annoyed by scene before the penalty kick
Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa criticized not so much the delayed whistle as the referee’s overall performance. “From the little I saw, I think there may have even been a foul before that action. There were two very close offside decisions, and we were unlucky that both went against us,“ said Arbeloa. ”Osasuna played their game and scored both times they shot at our goal.”
However, Arbeloa omitted a few scenes. Among other things, keeper Courtois had to defuse a top-class chance in the 24th minute, and six minutes later Budimir hit the post with a header. It was only natural that an underdog leading until the 73rd minute would not exactly play attacking football.
But Arbeloa also had many critical words to say. “I don’t think it was a good game for us. We have to play better, with more intensity, because that’s what’s expected of us.” His team lacked “control and quick ball play.” “It’s a question of attitude. If we don’t play at our level, anyone can beat us.”
Second division or Real? Raul doesn’t care
Osasuna also had to wait a long time for this success. “It’s an incredible feeling,” said winning goal scorer Raul. “We hadn’t won here against Real Madrid in 15 years. The team played a great game. I can hardly remember them having any chances,” said the 25-year-old, who also seemed to have a little trouble with his short-term memory. Real certainly had their chances, including a last-ditch save by Javi Galan against Kylian Mbappé in the 79th minute.
The description of his goal is likely to give Raul Asencio, who had already looked shaky during the penalty scene, something to think about. “It’s a move I often do,” said Raul. “I’ve scored a few goals like that in the second division.”
