Atletico Madrid delivered one of their most convincing performances of the season, thrashing Osasuna 4-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in a match that was settled in the home side's favor from very early on. Goals from Jonathan David, Lee Kang-In, Robin Le Normand and Alex Baena sealed a win that leaves the Rojiblancos sitting in third place in LaLiga, while the Navarrese side remain stuck in the lower half of the table.
How the match went
The script of the match was set from minute 24, when Jonathan David opened the scoring and forced Osasuna to sit back against an opponent that dominated with near-total authority. Atletico controlled the ball at will for the full 90 minutes, piling up chances and generating constant danger in the visitors' box.
In the second half, the Rojiblanco side stepped it up decisively. With two goals in just nine minutes, between the 54th and 63rd minutes, the match was completely put to bed, and Osasuna, who had tried to react with several attacking substitutions, found no way to stem the home side's onslaught. The fourth goal, in the closing stages, confirmed Atletico's most emphatic rout of the season so far.
Goals and key moments
24' - Jonathan David opened the scoring for Atletico Madrid after a first half of territorial dominance.
50' - Ademola Lookman was booked with a yellow card, one of the few notable incidents in the early part of the second half.
54' - Lee Kang-In extended the Rojiblanco lead shortly after the restart, just ten minutes into the second half.
59' and 60' - Osasuna turned to the bench, bringing on Kike Barja, Ruben Garcia and Ante Budimir in search of reversing what was already a very difficult picture.
63' - Robin Le Normand made it 3-0, all but settling the result with almost half an hour still to play.
68' - Atletico also made a triple substitution, bringing on Marc Pubill, Giuliano Simeone and Arnau Ortiz.
74' - Romain Del Castillo came on for Asier Osambela, who had to leave the pitch through injury.
82' - Alex Baena scored the fourth and final Rojiblanco goal, rounding off a historic rout on the night.
86' and 90'+3' - Ruben Garcia and Abel Bretones were both booked with yellow cards in the closing minutes of an already decided match.
The numbers
The statistics clearly reflect Atletico Madrid's superiority: 68% possession compared to Osasuna's 32%, and a huge gap in chance creation, with 27 shots to the Navarrese side's 3.
In shots on target, the Rojiblancos fired 11 efforts between the posts compared to just 1 from Osasuna, while the visiting goalkeeper had to be at his best with 7 saves, against just one save required from the home keeper.
Dominance also carried over into build-up play, with 580 completed passes for Atletico compared to Osasuna's 232, and 8 corners for the home side against none for the visitors. Osasuna, however, were more persistent in fouls, committing 12 to Atletico's 7.
How the table stands
With this win, Atletico Madrid move to 13 points from six matchdays and sit third, level on points with Sevilla but with a better goal difference (+8 compared to +3). The Rojiblancos have now racked up four wins, one draw and one defeat so far this season, arriving at this match on the back of a 3-0 rout of Real Sociedad the previous matchday.
Osasuna, meanwhile, remain on 7 points and drop to 13th place in the table, with a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats. Their negative goal difference (-7) confirms the offensive and defensive struggles of a side that had already lost to Espanyol and Alaves in their last two away outings.
Our take
Our take is that this Atletico Madrid side showed a very solid and ambitious version of themselves, with goals shared across different areas of the team -David, Lee Kang-In, Le Normand and Baena- pointing to a squad with multiple attacking resources. The strength of the numbers, especially in possession and shots on target, reinforces the sense of unquestionable control from start to finish.
On the other side, Osasuna reveal a fragility that had already been building over recent matchdays. Their scant attacking output, with just 3 shots in the entire match, and the need to turn to numerous substitutions without sparking any reaction, suggest that the Navarrese side are going through a difficult spell that they will need to turn around soon in order to move away from the bottom of the table.
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