Atletico Madrid Dominates Osasuna 4-0 in Title Race Statement

Atletico did not just win. They imposed themselves.

Diego Simeone’s side tore through Osasuna 4-0 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, a statement victory that keeps them locked into the early Liga title race and crackling with belief before the season’s first Madrid Derby.

The crowd sensed it early. Atletico played with a sharpness and aggression that Osasuna simply could not live with, and the breakthrough felt inevitable.

It came on 24 minutes. David, the summer signing already carrying the weight of expectation, stepped up and delivered. His finish opened the scoring and opened the floodgates, a clean strike that settled any early nerves and set a ruthless tone for the night.

That goal did more than tilt the match. It etched David’s name into club history. With that first-half strike, he became the first Los Rojiblancos player in the 21st century to score in each of his first two La Liga appearances. A small line in the record books, a huge marker laid down in the title race.

Atletico smelled weakness and went hunting for more.

After the interval, David turned creator. Nine minutes into the second half, he slipped a precise, incisive ball into the path of Lee Kang-in. The South Korean kept his composure, picked his spot and doubled the lead, a cool finish that reflected the control Atletico now had over both the ball and the occasion.

Osasuna were reeling. Atletico did not ease off.

The pressure finally told again in the 63rd minute. Robin Le Normand joined the party, adding the third to kill off any faint hope of a response. By then, the contest had turned into a showcase: Atletico’s movement, intensity and depth against an Osasuna side stuck on the back foot and short of answers.

Alex Baena then applied the final touch to the rout in the 82nd minute, making it 4-0 and sending the home crowd into full celebration mode. Every attack looked like it might end in a chance. Every loose ball seemed to fall to a red-and-white shirt.

For Osasuna, the damage runs deeper than the scoreline. This heavy defeat leaves them marooned in 13th place, with just seven points from their opening six matches and serious questions to answer about their defensive resilience away from home.

For Atletico, the most ominous part for their rivals was that they did all this without one of their biggest stars.

Julian Alvarez played no part. The Argentine forward was left out of the matchday squad as he continues to recover from a muscle problem that Simeone had already flagged in his pre-match press conference. On another night, that absence might have been a concern. Here, it simply underlined the strength of the squad around him.

David carried the attacking burden and thrived. Kang-in, Baena, Le Normand – all stepped up, all contributed. The performance screamed depth, variety and confidence.

The table reflects it. Atletico climb to 13 points from six games, sitting third and just two points behind Real Madrid and leaders Barcelona. The margins are tight, the stakes already rising.

And now comes the real examination.

Next Match

Next up at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano: Real Madrid. The Madrid Derby. Local rivalry, title implications, and the first real chance for Atletico to leapfrog their neighbours and send a shockwave through the league.

If this was the warm-up act, what happens when Los Blancos walk into this arena?

Osasuna, by contrast, must regroup quickly. They head back home to host Rayo Vallecano, needing a response, needing solidity, needing something to erase the memory of a night when Atletico sliced through them at will.

Atletico leave this one with four goals, a clean sheet, a record-breaking forward and a stadium braced for Madrid. The question now is simple: can they turn this surge of early-season momentum into something far bigger?