Osasuna is currently participating in two friendly matches during its pre-season training in England, following their victory against Ipswich of the Premier League. This time, they faced Norwich of the Championship. The objective under Ramis was not only to accumulate playing minutes but also to maintain their unbeaten record in pre-season training.
The local team started with a strong offensive presence and high pressure, making Osasuna feel uncomfortable, especially when handling the ball. The Norwich team quickly won back possession and tried to trouble Aitor Fernández's defense, which they managed well. While Osasuna struggled to get out of their own half, they attempted to attack through the wings. Overall, the match lacked a certain rhythm. Despite this, Norwich almost scored when a goal was disallowed for offside.
In the first half, Osasuna gradually became more solid in defense and limited space for the English team to create danger. Conversely, Osasuna left gaps that allowed the opposition to exploit. The home side tried to unbalance the score with set pieces but without success. By halftime, both teams had failed to produce any clear opportunities, resulting in a 0-0 draw.
In the second half, Osasuna came out determined to take the lead. Foul play made the game stop frequently. Ramis's team maintained good pressure. The danger was posed by Osasuna. The home side felt more comfortable than in the first half, while Norwich struggled to maintain possession and looked fresher due to substitutions. However, it was the English team who took an early lead through Darling at minute 59 after a quick recovery of the ball. Despite this, just two minutes later, Raúl converted a penalty awarded to Barja (65') for establishing the equalizer. Two minutes after that, Aimar's shot hit the crossbar.
From then on, Osasuna showed more comfort and control in the match. In the last minute of play, Asier Bonel, from the youth academy, pounced on a pass from Unai Santos to score the winning goal for his team.
