Osasuna 1-0 Getafe: Budimir penalty extends unbeaten LaLiga start

Osasuna extended their unbeaten start to the LaLiga season as Ante Budimir’s first-half penalty secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Getafe at El Sadar.

Budimir converted in the second minute of first-half stoppage time after VAR intervened to identify Djené’s shirt pull on the Croatia striker during a corner.

It proved enough for Luis Miguel Ramis’ side, although Getafe thought they had equalised shortly after the interval when Enes Ünal finished a well-constructed move, only for VAR to rule the goal out for a marginal offside.

The victory takes Osasuna to seven points from their opening three league matches, following a draw with Levante and a 2-1 win away to Celta Vigo.

For Getafe, a second defeat in three games leaves José Bordalás’ side on three points.

The opening half was far less straightforward for Osasuna than the eventual breakthrough might suggest.

Getafe competed aggressively for second balls and initially found more opportunities to move the game towards Sergio Herrera’s goal, with Ramón Terrats even attempting to catch the goalkeeper off his line from close to halfway.

Neither side established prolonged control.

The match instead developed through duels, direct passes and repeated contests for territory — precisely the type of game Getafe are comfortable turning into a physical battle.

Osasuna nevertheless began finding more threatening situations as the half progressed.

Their breakthrough came from a set-piece rather than sustained open-play pressure.

Budimir attempted to attack the delivery inside the area but was prevented from doing so by Djené, whose grip on the striker’s shirt escaped the initial decision.

Referee Jon Ander González was subsequently sent to the monitor following a VAR review and awarded the penalty.

Budimir made no mistake.

His finish sent Osasuna into the interval ahead and continued an outstanding start to the campaign for the 35-year-old, who had also scored the winner from the penalty spot against Celta four days earlier.

The goal carried an additional statistical significance.

Budimir was making his 200th Primera División appearance for Osasuna and once again demonstrated why his movement inside the penalty area remains one of the club’s most reliable attacking weapons.

Getafe’s response after the interval was immediate.

Bordalás’ side moved the ball with greater purpose and appeared to have levelled when Terrats and Andrés García combined before Ünal finished at the far post.

The goal initially stood.

VAR then intervened again.

This time the technology worked in Osasuna’s favour, identifying Ünal in an offside position by the narrowest of margins and restoring the home side’s 1-0 advantage.

That decision changed the emotional trajectory of the second half.

Getafe had produced the response they needed but were forced to begin again, while Osasuna were given another opportunity to protect a lead they had not established through clear territorial superiority.

Ramis’ team increasingly accepted that task.

The hosts defended deeper for periods, reduced the spaces through the centre and forced Getafe to create from less favourable positions.

The underlying numbers reflected how close the contest remained.

Getafe had more of the ball and produced a greater volume of attempts, but Osasuna created the better-quality chances overall. Sofascore recorded approximately 1.70 expected goals for the hosts compared with 0.65 for Getafe, while the visitors managed only one shot on target.

That distinction became decisive.

Getafe could move the match towards Osasuna’s penalty area.

They struggled to turn that territory into clean opportunities.

Terrats produced their clearest legitimate opening, forcing Herrera into action, but the goalkeeper and the defensive line in front of him survived the visitors’ late pressure.

Osasuna had opportunities to make the closing stages more comfortable on the counter but could not find the second goal.

It ultimately did not matter.

The defensive discipline that Ramis had demanded before kick-off became the defining quality of the final phase.

Getafe pushed.

Osasuna absorbed.

And the one moment of separation created before half-time survived until the final whistle.

The evening also contained an individual landmark on the opposite side.

David Soria made his 193rd consecutive LaLiga start, establishing a new record for successive starting appearances in the Spanish top flight and surpassing Juan Antonio Larrañaga’s previous mark.

Budimir ensured the goalkeeper’s record night ended without a result to accompany it.

For Osasuna, the broader significance is increasingly difficult to ignore.

Three games have produced seven points, two consecutive victories and only one goal conceded.

The sample remains small, but Ramis’ team are already showing an ability to win different types of matches.

They overturned a deficit against Celta.

Against Getafe, they protected a narrow advantage through a second half in which their opponents repeatedly attempted to change the momentum.

Budimir has been central to both victories.

His latest penalty may have been the only goal at El Sadar, but Osasuna’s ability to make it decisive was the stronger statement.