Osasuna manager Alessio Lisci has expressed his disappointment that VAR did not intervene to overrule a penalty against his side, as they fell to defeat against Real Madrid. Lisci noted that his side were forced to adapt significantly for the match, and that El Sadar is likely to see something different in their home debut on Sunday against Valencia.
However Los Rojillo were not content with either of the major decisions taken by the referee, the first being the decision to award a penalty against Juan Cruz.
“I thought it was a clear penalty in person, but looking at it closely, you have to analyze whether Mbappe first stepped on Juan or whether Juan hit Mbappé with his right foot. It seems to me that Mbappe first hooked Juan. There is no penalty,” Lisci explained to Diario AS.
📸 – PENALTY REAL MADRID! pic.twitter.com/JHJENYMS0z
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) August 19, 2025
During the incident, Mbappe can be seen stepping on Cruz’s foot, while the defender’s right leg then makes contact with the Frenchman’s other leg. Osasuna’s official Twitter/X account seemed to question the decision after the match too. The Navarrese side were not happy with the red card for Abel Bretones in stoppage time either.
🎙️ Jon Moncayola: “There are many positive takeaways from today, which will surely give us confidence for Sunday’s match.”#LetsGoRojillos | #RealMadridOsasuna pic.twitter.com/okmO78fdeh
— C. A. OSASUNA (@osasuna_en) August 19, 2025
‘It was Real Madrid’s only counterattack’
On the game itself, Lisci lamented the fact that Osasuna had conceded effectively from Real Madrid’s only counterattack.
“Yes. It was the only counterattack. It’s a shame, but ninety minutes without conceding a counterattack is difficult. It makes me angry because during the break, we adjusted a situation because on the right in Moncayola and Ruben’s area, they were easily sinking us, and during the break, we fixed it and in the second half, we started well. And it’s a shame that the transition happened at that moment. But hey, when you’re playing against Real Madrid, it’s hard to let them create less than they did today because they created very, very little. It’s a shame that one of them went through and it was a goal.”
🎙️ Jon Moncayola: “There are many positive takeaways from today, which will surely give us confidence for Sunday’s match.”#LetsGoRojillos | #RealMadridOsasuna pic.twitter.com/okmO78fdeh
— C. A. OSASUNA (@osasuna_en) August 19, 2025
“The team improved after the break. The goal came from a transition, it wasn’t a defensive move. We were very good in the transitions, they practically never had the chance to run into space.”
‘It’s a different game to La Liga’ – Lisci
In terms of what positives Osasuna could take going forward, Lisci explained that he was expecting a different game against Los Che this weekend.
“It’s a very different game from the rest of La Liga. We had to adjust things, be a little less aggressive, protect our backs a bit, and we did well. Next week is Valencia, so we’ll change things because there are two or three games a year where you have to adjust a lot. We’ll see how things go. There were some good moments, but they’ll be different games.”
Certainly Lisci will have been pleased with their defensive efforts and the organisation shown from Osasuna. Last season it as a frequent issue that Los Rojillo suffered from, and defending in a similar manner, they will a number of clean sheets this season.
