Osasuna 1-0 Alaves: Late Budimir strike sinks visitors as Osasuna climb to 10th

Osasuna had to bide their time until the latter moments of the second half in order to clinch a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Alaves. Ante Budimir's goal proved to be the decisive factor, allowing Osasuna to extend their unbeaten streak to four matches.

The first 45 minutes were full of energy, but despite both teams looking dangerous, they struggled to convert their chances into goals. Osasuna faced an early setback when Kike Barja, one of their key attackers, had to leave the field due to injury. This left Budimir as the lone striker against a team with the eighth-best defense in the league.

However, the hosts had the better scoring opportunities in the first half. David Garcia and Budimir came close to scoring with headers, but Antonio Sivera made crucial saves to deny them.

The visitors also faced a setback when Abdel Abqar suffered an issue, but they managed to escape the first half unscathed through a valiant team effort.

In stoppage time, Samu Omorodion's close-range strike hit the post, but the first half ended without any goals.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Alaves manager Luis Garcia made changes to his team's approach by bringing in Carlos Vicente and Kike Garcia. However, the hosts continued to dominate possession without creating clear chances in the final third.

On the other hand, Babazorros El Glorioso opted to play on the counterattack and came close to breaking the deadlock through Omorodion. But Sergio Herrera made a great save at the near post to deny them.

Osasuna faced another injury blow when D. Garcia had to leave the field. However, they only needed one opportunity to go their way, and it came in the 78th minute through Budimir. The star forward capitalized on a pass from Ruben García and scored the opening goal, leaving Sivera helpless.

Alaves made a determined effort to find an equalizer, but Osasuna successfully defended their lead and clinched a crucial win to maintain their aspirations of European qualification.

Meanwhile, Alavés currently occupies the 13th position in the standings. Although the risk of relegation is not yet a major concern, their winless streak of five matches raises the need for improvement to steer clear of any potential troubles.