Atletico Madrid's Dominant 4-0 Victory Over Osasuna
Atletico made a statement. Not a polite reminder, not a narrow escape. A full-blooded, 4-0 dismantling of Osasuna at a roaring Riyadh Air Metropolitano that shoved Diego Simeone’s team right into the heart of the early Liga title conversation.
From the first whistle, this felt different. Atletico pressed high, snapped into duels and moved the ball with a swagger that has not always been associated with Simeone’s sides. Osasuna never settled. They barely breathed.
David lights the fuse
The breakthrough came on 24 minutes, and it came from the man who is already rewriting the club’s recent history. David struck first, finishing clinically to give the hosts the lead and set the tone for what followed. One touch, one clean hit, and the Metropolitano erupted.
That goal did more than open the scoring. It etched David’s name into the record books. With that first-half strike, he became the first Atletico player in the 21st century to score in each of his first two La Liga matches for the club. Two games, two goals, instant impact.
Osasuna looked rattled. The visitors clung on until the break, but the pattern was clear: red-and-white shirts swarming forward, Osasuna sinking deeper, hoping for a mistake that never came.
Kang-in and the killer second
Any faint hope of an Osasuna response vanished nine minutes into the second half. Again, David stood at the heart of it. This time, he slipped into the role of creator.
Spotting space and timing the pass perfectly, he fed Lee Kang-in with an incisive ball that sliced open the defence. Kang-in stayed calm, picked his spot and doubled the lead. Cool finish, ruthless move. The stadium sensed the contest was over.
From there, Atletico played with a freedom that will worry the rest of the league. The passes flowed, the attacks came in waves, and Osasuna could not stem the tide.
Le Normand and Baena finish the job
The pressure finally told again in the 63rd minute. Robin Le Normand stepped up to add the third, pushing the scoreline into territory that better reflected Atletico’s dominance. It was the kind of goal that drains the last drops of resistance from an opponent.
Still, Simeone’s side were not done.
On 82 minutes, Alex Baena joined the party, applying the final touch to a brutal evening for Osasuna. His late strike sealed a 4-0 rout and underlined the gulf between the two teams on the night.
Osasuna leave the capital with more than just bruised pride. They sit 13th in the table, stuck on seven points from six games, and burdened by the memory of a defensive collapse that will sting all week.
David steals the spotlight
Among all the goals and all the noise, David remained the central figure. A historic first-half goal. A sharp, decisive assist for the second. Constant movement, constant menace. This was not just a good home debut; it was a declaration.
His performance gave Atletico a cutting edge that made Julian Alvarez’s absence feel almost like a footnote. The Argentine forward did not even make the matchday squad as he continues to recover from a muscle problem that has stalled his start to the season.
Simeone had already flagged Alvarez’s fitness issues before the game, a small cloud over Atletico’s attacking options. On this evidence, the squad depth is more than holding. It’s thriving.
Title race heats up – and Madrid loom
The win carries weight beyond the scoreline. Atletico climb to 13 points from six matches, settling into third place in the Liga standings. They sit just two points behind Real Madrid and leaders Barcelona, close enough to feel their breath.
Now comes the real examination.
Next up at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano: Real Madrid. The Madrid Derby. A fixture that can twist a season, that can turn belief into conviction or expose flaws in an instant.
For Atletico, the stakes are obvious. Beat Los Blancos and they don’t just claim bragging rights; they give their title bid a jolt of electricity and a chance to leapfrog their neighbours in the table. Drop points, and the early-season surge suddenly looks a little less imposing.
Osasuna, by contrast, retreat home with urgent work to do. They host Rayo Vallecano next, needing a response, needing structure, needing pride. Atletico have already found all three.
The question now is simple: can Simeone’s side carry this ruthless edge into the derby and turn a statement win into the start of something far bigger?
