Real Madrid 1 - Osasuna 1

Real Madrid: Casillas; Michel Salgado, Iván Campo (Celades 77'), Karanka, Roberto Carlos; Makelele (Savio 62'), Flavio Conceiçao; Figo, Raúl, McManaman; Guti (Munitis 72'). 4-2-3-1.
Osasuna: Nuno; Cruchaga, Jusué (Lekumberri 59'), Vidakovic; Yanguas, Alex Fernández (Alfonso 87'), Llorens; Gerardo, Gancedo, Angel Luis (Sabino 54'); Iván Rosado. 3-3-3-1.

Team changes: Madrid: Iván Campo, Makelele, Figo for Iván Helguera, Celades, Savio / Osasuna: Vidakovic, Llorens for Iban Pérez, Lekumberri.

Goals:
0-1. 36. Alex Fernández. Bent free kick around wall and wide of keeper.
1-1. 51. Raúl. Lifted ball over Nuno after Jusué clearance bounced off Cruchaga.

Real Madrid were surprisingly held at home by an improving Osasuna. With one eye on their Tuesday night Champions League semi-final, Madrid's concentration was not on their game, and the visitors took advantage to outplay them for much of the 90 minutes. Del Bosque was expected to rest some of his stars but he put out the best available team, with Flavio covering for the injured Helguera and Iván Campo, now recovered from his injury, coming in for his first game in several weeks in place of Hierro, who was also not fit. Osasuna were on a high after their vicotry last week against Barcelona and their good performance at Coruña, and Lotina only made a couple of changes, going back to his 3-3-3-1 (and at times 5-3-2) formation he used in previous matches after switching to four at the back against Barça.

The early pace was slow, with Madrid apparently saving energy for their up coming European challenge. Neither side got close to the opposing goal until Gancedo tried to catch Casillas off his line in the twentieth minute, and Madrid's first effort came from a long shot from Figo four minutes later which went wide, with Salgado trying another shortly afterwards. Ten minutes from half time the visitors took the lead, dead ball specialist Alex Fernández following up his goal directly from a corner last week with a text book free kick from outside of the area which bent around the defensive wall and in to the bottom corner of Iker's goal. Madrid finally woke up from their slumber and referee Iturralde González gave them a hand, awarding a penalty after Figo fell in the penalty area without Cruchaga touching him. Even Figo admitted afterwards that it was never a penalty, but it didn't matter in the end as the European footballer of the year put his spot kick just wide of the post.

From then on the star of the game was Osasuna's keeper Nuno, an ex Real Madrid player who is on loan from Deportivo, and he helped his Gallician employer with a superb display of goaltending. A minute before the break he blocked a point blank effort from Guti, McManaman putting the rebound wide, and then he reacted quickly to pick up Figo's deflected shot. He could do nothing though just after the break when Raúl equalised after Jusué's clearance hit Cruchaga on the back, the ball dropping kindly for the Real Madrid striker for him to lift it over the stranded keeper. It was his twentieth goal in the league, taking him once again to the top of the Pichichi chart this season. Nuno kept out another effort from Raúl and then Osasuna almost took the lead again, Iván Rosado's crossed shot bouncing back off the inside of Casillas's post with the keeper beaten. Del Bosque decided to go for broke, bringing on Savio for Makelele and then Munitis for Guti, and with thirteen minutes to go he took off Iván Campo (who had had a good game on his return) to bring on Celades.

But Osasuna were playing good football, passing the ball around at the first touch with Gancedo directing the orchestra, and a tired Madrid were giving the ball away too often. Casillas saved from another Alex free kick, and when Madrid did attack Nuno was always there, saving one spectacular effort from Roberto Carlos near the end. The point takes Real Madrid twelve points clear of Deportivo, who have a chance to catch up on their game on Sunday, and more importantly they have no injuries for Tuesday night's game. Helguera and Hierro are expected to be fit for that match, vital to their plans to win a ninth European champions title. Osasuna's point keeps them on the road to survival, and with four points against Barça and Madrid to their credit they will go in to their next games full of confidence. They will need it.