On 2025 August 20, La Liga’s opening round featured a highly anticipated clash as Real Madrid hosted Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu. Thanks to a second-half penalty earned and converted by Kylian Mbappé, Los Blancos secured a 1–0 victory and kicked off the season on a winning note.
With this result, Real Madrid extended their remarkable streak of remaining unbeaten in La Liga openers to 17 consecutive years.
The Alonso Era Begins
Real Madrid went through a lot of changes this summer. Mbappé took over the famous No. 10 jersey, while Luka Modrić and Carlo Ancelotti said goodbye. This officially started the “Xabi Alonso era.”
Alonso’s team did well in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup, going undefeated in the group stage and beating both Juventus and Borussia Dortmund in the knockout rounds. This showed both the coach’s tactical insight and Madrid’s sharp competitive edge.
Osasuna, on the other hand, didn’t make many changes to their team during the transfer window. But they had an edge going into this match because Madrid was without some crucial players.
Real Madrid was without four injured players, including Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham, and Antonio Rüdiger was suspended. Even though the difference in quality was evident on paper, Osasuna still had hope.
Mbappé Secures Victory from the Spot
Before this game, the two teams had played each other 95 times. Real Madrid had won 62 times while Osasuna had only won 13 times.
Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Brahim Díaz all started this game in the front. Even though Gonzalo García did well in the Club World Cup, Alonso chose not to start the 21-year-old Spanish player. Instead, he started on the bench.
Madrid had the ball a lot at first, but they had trouble getting past Osasuna’s defence. In the second half, Mbappé ran into the area and was fouled, which gave him a penalty kick that he scored to put his team ahead.
During stoppage time, García and Brietones got into a fight, and Brietones was shown a straight red card for a dangerous foul on the young player. Madrid held on till the end of the game to win 1–0.
Alonso Keeps the “Debut Win” Tradition Going
This win was not just Madrid’s first of the season, but it was also Xabi Alonso’s first time managing in La Liga. He was the 48th person to coach Real Madrid in the Spanish top flight. Zinedine Zidane, Julen Lopetegui, and Santiago Solari all won their first league games as Madrid coaches. Alonso has now continued that trend.
This weekend, Round 2 of La Liga will resume. Real Madrid will play Real Oviedo away, Atlético Madrid will host Elche, while Barcelona will play Levante away. Fans of Spain’s big three will be excited to see how their teams do after their first games.
