Pamplona (Sunday, May 5, 2024) – Club Atlético Osasuna (11-6-17, 39 points) suffered a 2-0 loss to Real Betis (13-13-8, 52 points) at El Sadar on Sunday afternoon. Los rojillos fought until the end despite going down a man in the 24th minute when the referee ejected midfielder Jon Moncayola upon VAR review.

The game started with both teams creating dangerous opportunities. The Andalusians knocked first when midfielder Ayoze Pérez blasted a shot from the edge of the box, but goalkeeper Sergio Herrera parried the ball away with a diving save. Los rojillos tried with defender Johan Mojica and forward Raúl García. The former tried with a left-footed shot, which hit the side of the net, and the latter saw his header miss the crossbar. Moncayola attempted to tap the ball into the net a few minutes later, but his foot collided with defender Juan Miranda. The referee issued a yellow card to the rojillo midfielder but was called to review the play. Upon review, the referee upgraded the card and sent off the homegrown player. Despite going down a man, the Navarrese side remained collected. In the 39th minute, defender Alejandro Catena was sent to the sidelines after a clash with a bético. As the defender awaited to be back in the game, Betis scored the day's first goal, thanks to Pérez.

Osasuna had a chance following the opening goal when midfielder Rubén García tried to score an Olympic goal, but defender Germán Pezzella cleared away the danger. In stoppage time, forward Pablo Fornals extended the lead.

In the second half, los rojillos came out strong, running the ball through the channels and trying to find the back of the net. Catena and midfielder Iker Muñoz had each an opportunity, but both headers shook the framework. As the game ended, García had a chance, but goalkeeper Rui Silva got the save.

Osasuna returns to the field on Saturday, May 11, to face Athletic Club in San Mamés in Week 35 of LaLiga EA Sports. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CET (8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET).

GAME NOTES

- Osasuna and Real Betis met for the second time this season. In their previous meeting, los rojillos fell against los béticos 2-1 at Estadio Benito Villamarín on October 29, 2023. They have met 80 times and 64 on the top flight. Los rojillos now hold a record of 26-14-40 (21-9-34 in the top flight).
- Midfielder Xabi Huarte debuted with the first team when he came in as a substitute for midfielder Iker Muñoz in the 82nd minute.
- Midfielder Rubén García made his 160th start with Osasuna and his 160th appearance in Primera División dressed in red.
- Defender Alejandro Catena started his 30th match as a rojillo.
- Defender Johan Mojica started the match for the 30th time since joining Osasuna.
- Defender Juan Cruz made his 100th appearance in Primera División.

BOX SCORE
CA Osasuna 0-2 Real Betis

GOALS:
BET: Ayoze Pérez 7 (unassisted) 41’
BET: Pablo Fornals 2 (Willian José 4) 45+3’

DISCIPLINE:
OSA: Jon Moncayola (Red Card) 24’
OSA: Unai García (Yellow Card) 25’
BET: Juan Miranda (Yellow Card) 38’
OSA: Raúl García (Yellow Card) 42’
BET: Rui Silva (Yellow Card) 86’

CA Osasuna: Sergio Herrera (C); Jon Moncayola, Jesús Areso (Juan Cruz, m. 82), Rubén García, Rubén Peña, Pablo Ibáñez (Lucas Torró, m. 66), Johan Mojica, Raúl García (Jose Arnaiz, m. 66), Alejandro Catena, Jorge Herrando, Iker Muñoz (Xabi Huarte, m. 82)
Subs not used: Aitor Fernández; Unai García

Real Betis: Rui Silva; Juan Miranda (Abner, m. 46), Johnny Cardoso (Rodri Sánchez, m. 74), Guido Rodríguez, Germán Pezzella (Sokartis Papastathopoulos, m. 62), Nabil Fekir (C) (Abde, m. 86), Ayoze Pérez, Willian José, Pablo Fornals (William Carvalho, m. 74), Youssouf Sabaly, Chadi Riad 
Subs not used: Claudio Bravo, Francisco Vieites; Marc Roca, Aitor Ruibal, Sergi Altimira 

STATS SUMMARY:
OSA/BET
Shots: 12/10
Shots on Goal: 2/4
Corners: 8/5
Fouls: 13/13
Offsides: 1/4
Possession: 41.15%/58.9%

Referee: Victor García Verdura
Assistant referees: Joan Méndez Mateo & Julián Villaseñor Julián
Fourth official: Pablo Monterrubio Torres 
VAR: Juan Martínez Munuera
Assistant VAR: Valentín Pizarro Gómez