Real Madrid finally drop points after Benzema misses penalty

Real Madrid lost their 100% record after Karim Benzema missed a crucial penalty in their La Liga game against Osasuna.

Los Blancos came into the match with a perfect seven for seven so far in the league. Their talisman Karim Benzema returned back in the fold after an injury layoff, and all signs pointed to another three points for the home team.

Both Thibaut Courtois and Luka Modric were out of the squad due to injuries. Carlo Ancelotti selected Andriy Lunin and Dani Ceballos to fill in for them.

The first scoring opportunity of the game fell to Benzema in the 38th minute. Brazilian winger Vinicius found the French striker with a lofted cross after an amazing run, but Benzema sent his volley inches wide of the mark.

However, a few minutes later, Real Madrid took the lead through Vinicius Junior.

The skillful winger fired a rather mischievous cross from the left that caught the Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera off guard.

Before the goalkeeper could react, it was too late, and the ball went past him into his net.

Instead of letting the goal ruin their resolve, Osasuna fought back and attacked Madrid. 

Kike headed Unai Garcia’s precise cross, and the ball looped over Andriy Lunin to give Osasuna the equalizer six minutes after the restart.

Osasuna’s dreams of picking up a point at the Bernabeu faced a serious threat in the 75th minute when David Garcia brought down Benzema in the penalty area.

After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded to Madrid, and Garcia was shown a red card as well.

Benzema took the penalty. However, his powerful strike struck the crossbar and went over the goal.

Meanwhile, Osasuna held on to claim a point, a hard-fought draw at the Bernabeu.

The draw now means that  Real Madrid now sits level on 19 points with rivals Barcelona, who are currently top of the LaLiga standings.

Real Madrid will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they face Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

Collins Nwokolo