MADRID, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid returned to winning ways on Saturday in La Liga with a 4-0 win at home to Osasuna to help forget the consecutive defeats the club had suffered against FC Barcelona and AC Milan.
The win will help lift some of the pressure on coach Carlo Ancelotti after the press had openly debated whether he could be facing the sack in the wake of Tuesday's 3-1 loss at home to Milan, which will make it difficult for the team to qualify directly for the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Vinicius Jr led his side's win with a hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham also ended his goal drought with Madrid's second goal three minutes before halftime.
Vinicius' opening goal came just as the fans were starting to get nervous, after an early goal failed to arrive and Madrid had lost Rodrygo and Eder Militao to injury within the first half hour.
Rodrygo pulled up with a muscle injury, while Militao had to be carried off after 28 minutes after falling badly while defending a high ball. The Brazilian covered his face with his hands as he was carried off, prompting fears that he could have suffered a serious injury to his right knee, only months after returning from an operation on his other leg.
Lucas Vazquez also went down with a muscle problem moments before Bellingham made it 2-0, as the latter ran onto a long ball which Osasuna failed to defend before lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Sergio Herrera for his first goal of the season.
Vinicius scored his second of the game after beating the Osasuna offside trap and racing through to score, and the visitor's high defensive line let it down as he completed his hat-trick after Brahim Diaz got in behind the defense and pulled the ball back for him to score.
The loss of Real Madrid's only fit right back Vazquez and Militao could be a long-term problem for Ancelotti. ■
