Real Madrid open their La Liga season with a nervy 1-0 home win against Osasuna at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kylian Mbappe struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged Osasuna 1-0 to make a winning start in La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso.
The French striker, last season’s European Golden Shoe winner, scored early in the second half on Tuesday after he was fouled in the area by Osasuna defender Juan Cruz.
It was enough to seal the points in Alonso’s first game in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Madrid now unbeaten in their opening fixture of a league campaign since 2008.
“It was special to be back here as a coach, unforgettable,” Alonso said. “Hopefully, it was the first of many victories celebrated here.
“There were positives, beginning with the result. We still need a few things that will give us stability to keep progressing.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold made his La Liga debut after his move from Liverpool, with former Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen and left-back Alvaro Carreras, the other summer arrivals included in the starting lineup.
Madrid, though, were without England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is expected to be sidelined until October as he recovers from an operation to solve a recurrent shoulder issue.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid scores his team’s winning goal [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]
Madrid are looking to turn the page on a disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era after relinquishing both their domestic and European crowns last season.
Alonso’s side had to show patience against an Osasuna team that finished ninth last term, with the hosts largely restricted to long-range efforts from centre-backs Huijsen and Eder Militao in the first half.
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera was equal to both, while Mbappe failed to connect cleanly after being picked out by Vinicius Junior before he curled another shot wide as Madrid struggled to break down their opponents.
But Mbappe grabbed the only goal six minutes after half-time, after he went down following a clumsy challenge by Cruz as he tried to cut past the defender.
Mbappe, who was La Liga’s top scorer, with 31 goals in his first season in Spain, got up and running for the new campaign as he sent Herrera the wrong way from the spot.
Alonso handed 18-year-old Argentinian winger Franco Mastantuono his debut midway through the second half, as Madrid controlled the game and seldom looked troubled.
Ante Budimir headed over in a rare opportunity for Osasuna, and Mastantuono was denied late on by Herrera.
Osasuna finished the match with 10 men, with Abel Bretones sent off in stoppage time for throwing an arm to block the run of Gonzalo Garcia.
Who: Real Madrid vs Osasuna What: Spanish La Liga Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain When: Tuesday 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow:We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 6pm (16:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream of the match.
Real Madrid will open their 2025-2026 La Liga campaign with a home game against Osasuna on Tuesday at the Bernabeu.
The 36-time Spanish domestic champions approach the new season with several new signings and fresh hope under recently appointed coach Xabi Alonso and are looking to turn the page on a disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era with “ambitious” football.
But as Alonso saw firsthand in his Real managerial debut at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer – Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the semifinal – there is plenty of work to do if the megaclub wants to reclaim its La Liga title from Barcelona in the new season.
Alonso’s Vinicius-Mbappe challenge
Alonso, who wants to implement some version of the 3-4-2-1 formation that won him the Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, faces a huge challenge to unlock the chemistry between his two superstar forwards: Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
Both Mbappe, who scored 44 goals in his debut season at Real, and Vinicius, whose scoring output dipped substantially after the Frenchman’s arrival, are being told they must contribute more off the ball this season and set a better example for the team, according to reporting by the Marca newspaper.
Alonso is reportedly concerned about a lack of teamwork and visible negative gestures among some of his top players – a trend that has persisted since last season.
If the two players again fail to consistently connect up front in the 2025-2026 season, the constant rumour mill of a Vinicius exit from the club will begin churning once more.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso will be hoping the star forward pairing of Vinicius Junior, left, and Kylian Mbappe thrives the second time around [File: Anna Szilagyi/EPA]
Where did Osasuna finish last season?
The Pamplona-based club had one of their most successful La Liga seasons, finishing ninth in the standings and making it to the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.
What happened the last time Real Madrid met Osasuna?
The teams played out a controversial 1-1 draw on February 19 when 10-man Real squandered a chance to cement their lead on top of the La Liga ladder after Jude Bellingham was sent off in the 39th minute for what appeared to be an argument with the match referee.
Modric out, Guler in
Real Madrid enters the 2025-26 La Liga season without inspirational veteran Luka Modric in the squad for the first time in more than a decade. The lack of the Croatian’s experience and quality will be felt in a side lacking some guile in midfield.
Los Blancos’ hope is for Turkish playmaker Arda Guler, who is entering his second season with the club, to be able to thrive there and become a player who can control the tempo of a game.
“The coach is trying to make us have more control of the game, and that’s better for me,” Guler said.
The 20-year-old should get plenty of chances to play at the start of the season with another key midfielder, Bellingham, sidelined until around mid-October.
Turkish sensation Arda Guler, left, will try to fill the large playmaking gap created by Luka Modric’s departure from Real Madrid [File: Gerrit van Keulen/ANP via Getty Images]
Who are the new players signed by Real Madrid?
Ex-Liverpool and England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, widely considered one of the best right backs in the world, was Real Madrid’s highest-profile signing over the summer. He is a near-certainty to start in his La Liga debut against Osasuna on Tuesday.
Towering centre back Dean Huijsen joins the club from Bournemouth after signing a 50 million pounds ($67m) deal on May 17 and is also expected to line up in the starting XI.
Real also added new left back Alvaro Carrera from Benfica as well as promising Argentinian teenager Franco Mastantuono, who will occupy a midfield role at Madrid.
Team news: Real Madrid
Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga may miss the Osasuna fixture after picking up an injury to his right ankle, the club announced on August 10.
“Following tests conducted on Eduardo Camavinga by the Real Madrid Medical Services, the player has been diagnosed with a sprain to his right ankle,” the 15-time European champions wrote on their website. Madrid did not give a timeline for the 22-year-old’s return.
England international Bellingham has undergone successful shoulder surgery but will miss the first two months of the season.
Antonio Rudiger is serving a one-game suspension carried over from last season.
Star midfielder Jude Bellingham won’t line up for Real Madrid until October after offseason surgery [File: Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA via Getty Images]
Team news: Osasuna
Osasuna have no reported injuries or suspensions.
Promising winger Victor Munoz, who joined Osasuna from Real Madrid’s youth system over the summer, is tipped to make his debut against his old club in the season opener.
Possible lineups:
Real Madrid possible starting XI: Courtois (GK); Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Militao; Carreras, Guler, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
In their last five matches against Osasuna, Real Madrid have won four and drawn once:
Osasuna 1, Real Madrid 1 – February 16, La Liga Real Madrid 4, Osasuna 0 – November 10, La Liga Osasuna 2, Real Madrid 4 – March 17, 2024, La Liga Real Madrid 4, Osasuna 0 – October 8, 2023, La Liga Real Madrid 2, Osasuna 1 – May 7, 2023, Copa del Rey final
Now in his second season with Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe, centre, is ready to win his first La Liga title with the Spanish megaclub [File: Anna Szilagyi/EPA]
