Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Score as Real Madrid Beat Osasuna in La Liga

Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga after beating Osasuna 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring before substitute Rodrygo found the net less than a minute after coming off the bench, to help a much-changed Real team follow Sunday's impressive 1-0 win away to Sevilla with another positive result.

Gareth Bale was rested, while Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema were left on the bench, leaving Vinicius and summer signing Luka Jovic to start up top.

Zinedine Zidane's team have now won three in a row in the Spanish top flight to take early control of the title race.

For 36 minutes it looked as though Real's second-string forward line would be unable to break the hosts down. Jovic shot high when meeting a free kick in the 18th minute, while winger Lucas Vazquez struggled to get involved at all.

Another chance fell the way of Jovic after a slew of errors among the Osasuna defence. Yet the former Eintracht Frankfurt marksman still couldn't find his range.

It was left to Vinicius to justify Zidane's team selection by applying the finishing touch to Toni Kroos' pass nine minutes before the break. Vinicius had made a rocky start and even incurred the wrath of some of the home supporters, but the Brazilian eventually won the crowd over with an industrious display in sharp contrast to Jovic's subdued performance.

The misfiring striker thought he had finally set his sights 13 minutes after the restart. Jovic found the net with a precise shot into the bottom corner, showcasing the talent as a finisher that encouraged Real to spend an initial €65 million to bring him to the Spanish capital, only for VAR to rule it out.

While Jovic was struggling, it was Vinicius who made way for Rodrygo on 71 minutes. The decision seemed like a harsh one for the player who had done more than any other to inspire Los Merengues in the final third.

Even so, it proved to be an inspired change by Zidane when the 18-year-old newcomer finished from Casemiro's pass less than a minute later.

Real were unable to add to the tally during the match's final stages, but Zidane at least enjoyed a timely reminder about the strength in depth of his squad. Going top despite not always impressing underlines that strength and offers a warning to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona Zidane's team must be taken seriously as contenders this season.

What's Next?

Real face Atleti in the Madrid derby at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday, while Osasuna travel to Levante the next day.