Atlético Madrid beat Osasuna 4-0 in the sixth round of La Liga at the Metropolitano on Wednesday evening. The hosts controlled proceedings from the first whistle and never let the visitors back into the contest. By full-time they had accumulated 11 shots on target against a single effort from Osasuna.
It is the sort of evening that stays with you. Twenty minutes in and Jonathan David had already opened the scoring, a reminder that this Atlético side does not wait for permission to impose itself. To be fair, the visitors had not yet established any rhythm, their passes going backwards more often than forwards.
Lee Kang-In doubled the lead at the half-hour mark, capitalising on a period when Osasuna's defence looked exposed. The visitors had managed just one big chance all game while Atlético created ten. It was not a contest so much as a demonstration, and the scoreline reflected that comfortably.
We had given a home win at 46 per cent confidence before kick-off. That felt reasonable given the form: Atlético had won three of their last five while Osasuna had lost three of their six league fixtures. By then the gap in quality was already visible, not just in the goals but in everything else.
Robin Le Normand added a third before Alejandro Baena Rodríguez made it four late on. The statistics tell the story without embellishment: 68 per cent possession, 420 passes in the opposition half, 19 successful tackles. Osasuna managed 160 passes in the attacking third and created nothing of note.
Atlético move to third place with 13 points from six games, while Osasuna remain 13th on seven. The hosts have now scored 12 goals in their last three matches, a run that started with a 3-1 win over Sevilla and continues with this emphatic display.
