Real Madrid 1-0 Osasuna: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Kylian Mbappe makes his mark on Xabi Alonso's Bernabeu return

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso marked his Santiago Bernabeu return with a narrow 1-0 victory over Osasuna, courtesy of Kylian Mbappe's second-half penalty.

After making 236 appearances for Real Madrid as a player, Alonso has now been tasked with revitalising the club from the dugout following an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti.

As expected, Real Madrid controlled the pace of the game in the opening 45 minutes, but they struggled to translate that possession into clearcut opportunities against a stubborn backline.

In fact, Dean Huijsen and Eder Militao went closest to finding the net in the first half, with the two centre-backs forcing Sergio Herrera into action from ambitious long-range strikes.

Unfortunately for Osasuna, all their fine first-half work was undone by Juan Cruz's clumsy challenge in the opening stages of the second period, creating the chance for Mbappe to open the scoring from the penalty spot.

Los Blancos failed to add to their tally following Mbappe's 45th goal for the club, but they never really looked like conceding against an Osasuna side that had been set up to grind out a point, rather than chase a deficit.

However, the game still produced one moment of drama as Osasuna full-back Abel Bretones was shown a late red card for a raised arm against Gonzalo Garcia, marking a disappointing end for Alessio Lisci in his first game in charge of Los Rojillos.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Interestingly, Alonso opted to use a back four rather than implement the back three that he used so often during his time at Bayer Leverkusen.

In truth, Real Madrid's backline had little to do on matchday one, meaning that there was no real defensive test for Trent Alexander-Arnold on his La Liga debut.

The 26-year-old tried to involve himself in Real Madrid's attacking work, but he struggled to find the right moments to unleash the defence-splitting passes that he often produced in a Liverpool shirt.

His quiet outing was ended in the 68th minute when he was replaced by veteran defender Dani Carvajal, who will put pressure on Alexander-Arnold for the right-back spot throughout the season.

There were also La Liga debuts for Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono, but while there was plenty of excitement surrounding the new arrivals, there was not much to write home about regarding the home side's attacking play, which was slow and disjointed at times.

With that said, it is still the early stages of Alonso's tenure, and more hours on the training pitch should result in an improvement, especially as Los Blancos are lacking in match sharpness following their short pre-season due to the Club World Cup.

As for Osasuna, they can take heart from their application in defence and will be frustrated by Cruz's decision to dive in on Mbappe in the early stages of the second half.

Fans will hope that Lisci's side will have more of a cutting edge when they go up against more-beatable opponents than the 15-time European champions.

REAL MADRID VS. OSASUNA HIGHLIGHTS

Mbappe goal vs. Osasuna (51st min, Real Madrid 1-0 Osasuna)

Kylian Mbappé opens his account for the new LALIGA season ?

A clinical penalty gives Real Madrid the lead ⚪

????????? ?? @sbk | 18+ | ?????? ?????? ??????????? pic.twitter.com/fzPCYMSQGd
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) August 19, 2025

Real Madrid find the breakthrough after the referee points to the spot for Cruz's rash sliding tackle on Mbappe. The Frenchman stuttered and sent Herrera the wrong way to open his and Real Madrid's account for the new season.

Bretones red card vs. Real Madrid (95th min, Real Madrid 1-0 Osasuna)

Osasuna will finish the game with 10 men. Bretones is given his marching orders after the referee ruled that he used a raised arm on Garcia. VAR reviews the footage and sticks with the on-field decision.

MAN OF THE MATCH - KYLIAN MBAPPE

Mbappe made a decisive impact in the contest, winning the penalty before picking himself up to roll a composed finish into the net.

The 26-year-old produced a couple of eye-catching tricks during the match, while he also created two chances, completed eight dribbles and won 11 duels.

His promising start suggests he will be looking to match and surpass last season's tally of 44 goals in 59 appearances in all competitions.

REAL MADRID VS. OSASUNA MATCH STATS

Possession: Real Madrid 71%-29% Osasuna

Shots: Real Madrid 18-2 Osasuna

Shots on target: Real Madrid 5-0 Osasuna

Corners: Real Madrid 7-0 Osasuna

Fouls: Real Madrid 10-12 Osasuna

BEST STATS

3 - Xabi Alonso have fielded the third youngest starting XI by a @realmadriden manager on his LaLiga debut since at least the 2005/06 season (25 years and 213 days), behind José Mourinho in 2010 (25y, 181d) and Manuel Pellegrini in 2009 (25y, 201d). Freshness. pic.twitter.com/7oHW1OfmMm
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 19, 2025

8 - Kylian Mbappé has scored eight penalty goals in LaLiga since the start of last season, no player has scored more in the competition since then (Ante Budimir also has eight). Executioner. pic.twitter.com/APm0IVkJcM
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 19, 2025

4 - Top 5 youngest foreign players to debut with Real Madrid in LaLiga:

1⃣ Martin Ødegaard ?? in 2015 (16y, 157d)
2⃣ Samuel Eto’o ?? in 1998 (17y, 270d)
3⃣ FRANCO MASTANTUONO ?? in 2025 (18y, 5d)
4⃣ Endrick ?? in 2024 (18y, 35d)
5⃣ Juan Esnáider ?? in 1991 (18y, 67d)

Diamond. pic.twitter.com/rsL0XIin1N
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 19, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

After kicking off their campaign with a win, Real Madrid will head on their travels for their next league meeting with newly-promoted Real Oviedo on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Lisci will take charge of his first home game as Osasuna boss in Sunday's clash against Valencia at El Sadar.