Real Madrid stumble against Osasuna, Atletico back in track

Real Madrid lost 2–1 away to Osasuna in La Liga after Raul Garcia scored a late winner in the 90th minute. The defeat hurt Madrid’s title hopes.Barcelona are now just two points behind Madrid and can move to the top of the table if they beat Levante on Sunday at Camp Nou.In another match, Atletico Madrid returned to winning form with a 4–2 victory over Espanyol.Madrid did not play well in Pamplona. Osasuna took the lead after Ante Budimir won a penalty. At first, he was booked for diving, but VAR showed that goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had stepped on his foot. Budimir calmly scored from the spot.Vinicius Junior later equalised for Madrid after finishing a cross from Fede Valverde. It was his fifth goal in four games, showing his strong recent form under coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January.Kylian Mbappe thought he had scored, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Madrid seemed distracted, possibly thinking about their upcoming Champions League match against Benfica, coached by Jose Mourinho.Coach Arbeloa admitted his team did not play well and said they need to improve before their important European match."It was not a good game from us... we have to play a lot better," Arbeloa told reporters."We had control at some points but we lacked speed in our play... on Wednesday we have another final, another game that is very important for us."Real Madrid could have taken the lead late in their La Liga game, but Kylian Mbappe’s shot was blocked by Javi Galan. Moments later, Raul Garcia scored for Osasuna at the far post. The goal was first ruled out, but VAR showed it was onside. This was Osasuna’s first league win over Madrid in 15 years."It's an incredible feeling... I think (that fact) is crazy. The fans deserved a victory like this after so many years," Raul Garcia told DAZN.Elsewhere, Real Betis were held 1-1 at home by Rayo Vallecano, leaving them six points behind Atletico Madrid, who bounced back with a 4-2 win over Espanyol.Alexander Sorloth scored twice as Atletico ended a four-game winless run in La Liga at the Metropolitano Stadium. Giuliano Simeone, the coach’s son, scored after halftime, and Nigeria international Ademola Lookman added a third. Sorloth then scored his second to make it 4-1 before Edu Exposito netted a late consolation for Espanyol.Although Atletico trail Real Madrid by 12 points and are out of the title race, the win strengthens their hold on a top-four finish. "We needed to get the points to close in on the teams above us," said Simeone."We were protagonists, we scored four goals, we had two or three more clear chances, we played a very complete game."Atletico now prepare to host Club Brugge in a crucial Champions League play-off second leg on Tuesday, after a 3-3 first-leg draw in Belgium.