Analysis The numbers behind the result
Alaves clinical finishing overwhelms Osasuna in lopsided first-half display
Alaves thoroughly deserved this five-goal victory. They dominated the opening 45 minutes with ruthless efficiency, scoring three times before the interval through Lucas Boyé (27', 51') and Mariano Díaz (36'). Osasuna offered little resistance in that period, with only Ante Budimir's response on 46 minutes suggesting any attacking threat. The pattern was set: Alaves' 3-1-4-2 shape created space in the final third, and when chances arrived, they converted them. Boyé proved the clinical catalyst, netting twice in the first half from limited opportunities and adding a third on 68 minutes—three goals from seven shots on target across the match.
Osasuna's structural vulnerabilities were exposed early. Playing 4-4-2, they surrendered possession (49%) yet failed to compensate with defensive solidity or pressing intensity. Their 13 free kicks conceded and inability to disrupt Alaves' build-up revealed a lack of midfield control. Budimir's penalty conversion in the 64th minute offered false hope, but by then Alaves had already shifted into cruise control. A fifth goal from Pablo Ibáñez in the 90th minute rubber-stamped the rout. Osasuna's three substitutions at the 60-minute mark—including the removal of creator Moi Gómez—signalled tactical capitulation rather than incisive adjustment.
The deciding metric: Alaves' seven shots on goal versus Osasuna's five, coupled with superior shot placement (7 inside the box to 6). Boyé's hat-trick epitomised the gulf in clinical execution; Osasuna created chances but lacked the precision to punish an opponent that showed none.