Vinicius Jr shone with a remarkable hat-trick as Real Madrid swept past Osasuna 4-0, although the victory was dampened by Eder Militao’s significant knee injury.
The Brazilian defender suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a corner incident, letting out a scream of pain before being stretchered off the field around the 30-minute mark. He was replaced by 21-year-old Raul Asencio, who made his Real Madrid debut in the process. A club statement later confirmed that Militao had sustained a full tear to his ACL with both menisci affected, and he will undergo surgery in the coming days.
After the match, manager Carlo Ancelotti reflected on the spate of injuries, saying, “Three injuries in the first half is quite rare. The intensity of the schedule doesn’t give players enough time to rest. This increases the risk of injuries, and it’s not just affecting us.”
Despite the injury setback, Vinicius ensured Real Madrid returned to winning form after two consecutive losses. He opened the scoring with a well-placed shot into the far corner after cutting inside from the left past Osasuna’s goalkeeper Sergio Herrera.
Jude Bellingham then added a second goal, his first of the season, chipping Herrera after a brilliant long pass from Asencio. Vinicius added his second goal an hour into the game, rounding Herrera to score after an impressive long pass from Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
For his third, Vinicius capitalized on a setup from Brahim Diaz, who intercepted a pass from Enzo Boyomo and fed him for a straightforward finish.
Injuries continued to trouble Real Madrid, with Rodrygo exiting after just 20 minutes and Lucas Vazquez unable to play past halftime. Real’s defense is already stretched, with right-back Dani Carvajal also sidelined from an ACL injury and centre-back David Alaba out with a knee issue.
This win places Real Madrid six points behind Barcelona, though Hansi Flick’s team has a chance to widen that gap when they visit Real Sociedad on Sunday.
SOURCE: BBC
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