Vinicius Junior and debutant Rodrygo Goes earned a much-changed Real madrid an uninspiring 2-0 convert Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu that sent them prime of LaLiga.
Brazilian teenager Vinicius was clearly emotional when finding the net for the primary time since February, though a deflection helped his effort beat Ruben Martinez within the thirty sixth minute.
The two teenagers both netted as Zinedine Zidane's resurgent side beat Osasuna 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
On the morning of Real Madrid 's meeting with Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu, MARCA revealed that coach Zinedine Zidane would show us his 'Plan B'.
Presumably, the 'B' was for ' Brazil '. Or perhaps 'brilliant'.
On Wednesday evening, Zidane's brave gamble to rest players ahead of the weekend's Madrid derby paid off spectacularly, as his two boys from Brazil, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, combined to earn the hosts a 2-0 victory that put them top of the Liga table.
Crisis? What crisis? Suddenly, the embarrassing champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain seems a long time ago.
After two consecutive wins in Liga, over
Sevilla and now Osasuna, Real are one point clear of city rivals and second-placed Atletico ahead of Saturday's trip to the Wanda Metropolitano.
They will make that short journey across the city with renewed optimism and with exciting options off the bench.
Vinicius Junior's lack of game time so far this season had been a cause of much debate up until this point of the season.
Zidane had grown weary of reports that he didn't have as much faith in the 19-year-old as his predecessor, Santiago Solari, even snapping at reporters earlier this month.
"I don't have confidence in who?" the Frenchman fumed. "He has my complete confidence, I can guarantee that. Stop saying this, because he's a good player and he's in my plans."
Vinicius spent all of last weekend's win over Sevilla on the bench but he was given a second start of the season against Osasuna, and he made the most of it.
He was a livewire throughout, attempting 14 dribbles in total – a new Liga high for 2019-20 – and broke the deadlock with a curling effort from outside the area nine minutes before the break.
This may have been viewed as little more than a warm-up for the Madrid derby for many players and fans but it meant the world to the teenager, who was reduced to tears by what was his first goal since February.
His shot had taken a crucial deflection, off Ruben Navas, but Vinicius didn't care. An untimely ligament injury had checked the remarkable rate of progress he was enjoying last season. It robbed him of his starting spot. It had even delayed his Brazil debut.
For Vinicius, then, this goal was about putting his injury agony behind him. It felt like the resumption of his Real career.
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