Pamplona on a Tuesday night. Osasuna at home. Nine Atlético Madrid players injured. On paper, this had upset written all over it. What actually happened was different. Atlético scored three times in the first forty-six minutes, had a man sent off, conceded a late one, and walked away from El Sadar with a 2-1 win that keeps their top-four grip very much intact with three La Liga matches left. Not pretty. Rarely is with Simeone. But done.
The injury list deserves a mention because it genuinely shaped the evening. Nine first-team players out — that is not a routine set of absences, that is a crisis. Simeone had to build a starting lineup from whoever was standing upright and fit enough to travel to Navarre. Osasuna, meanwhile, had beaten Sevilla not long ago and have been no pushover at El Sadar all season. Nine wins at home. A crowd that turns up and means it. This was supposed to be hard for the visitors.
It turned out not to be. Not in the first half anyway.
Penalty in the 15th minute. Javi Galán’s arm, handball inside the area, no argument once VAR looked at it. Griezmann picked up the ball and then — this is the bit worth noting — handed it straight to Lookman. Did not even consider taking it himself. Lookman accepted, stepped up, sent Fernández the wrong way. Low, firm, into the corner. 1-0 Atlético.
Three minutes. Le Normand. Set piece, close range finish, 2-0. Just like that Osasuna were two down before twenty minutes had been played and the evening had a very different shape to what the home supporters had been expecting when they took their seats.
VAR came back into it around the half-hour mark — a lengthy review of a Musso-Budimir incident in the box that had Osasuna convinced a penalty was coming. It was not given. Budimir shook his head. The crowd made their feelings known. Nothing changed on the scoreboard.
Fernández at the other end was busy. He kept Osasuna from falling further behind before halftime, making saves that stopped a 2-0 from becoming a 3-0 or worse. That mattered later. But at halftime it was still 2-0 and the match felt decided.
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Forty-six seconds into the second half. That is not a typo. Sørloth, on as a substitute, turned a cross into the net before most people had finished their half-time drink. 3-0. Done. Really done this time.
Except it was not, because Llorente then went and collected a second yellow card. Ten men for Atlético. Suddenly Osasuna had something to play for again — not the result, obviously, but pride, a goal, something to give the fans. Simeone’s side had to work harder in those final minutes with a man down, chasing shadows as the home side pressed.
Kike Barja gave them their goal in the 90th+1st minute. He had already come on as a substitute, had been causing problems down the right, and when the cutback arrived inside the area he did not hesitate. Top corner. Excellent. The kind of finish a striker remembers even when the match is already gone.
Final whistle. 1-2. Osasuna had scored but it was too little and too late. Atlético took the points back to Madrid.
The significance of the result is clearer when you look at what Simeone’s side were dealing with. Fourth place. 66 points from 36 matches. Top four not yet confirmed mathematically but three points closer after this. Winning away from home with nine absentees and with ten men for a chunk of the second half — that is the kind of result that coaches point to when the season is reviewed. Not glamorous. Not convincing. But resilient and effective in the way Atlético teams under Simeone often are when their backs are against the wall.
For Osasuna, eleventh place, 42 points, the European places three points out of reach and the rounds running out. Two defeats in a row now — Levante away before this, then this. Alessio Lisci’s side have done well to be where they are this season. Most people had them fighting relegation before August was out. They are nowhere near the drop zone. That is an achievement. But the end of this campaign has been flat and they will want it to be over.
Three La Liga rounds left. Atlético still have work to do to confirm fourth, but after Tuesday night in Pamplona it feels very close.
Full La Liga table, top scorers, and the remaining fixtures for every club are at the official La Liga website at laliga.com.
Full-time: Osasuna 1-2 Atlético Madrid. Lookman 15′ pen, Le Normand 18′, Sørloth 46′ (Atlético); Kike Barja 90’+1′ (Osasuna). Red card: Marcos Llorente (Atlético, second yellow). Estadio El Sadar, Pamplona. La Liga Matchday 36, 12 May 2026. Osasuna 11th, 42 pts. Atlético Madrid 4th, 66 pts.
