CRISTIANO Ronaldo headed an 89th-minute winner for Real Madrid as they came from behind to beat Osasuna 3-2 at home to stay hot on the heels of leaders Barcelona in La Liga yesterday.
The world’s most expensive player rescued his team, heading in Gonzalo Higuain’s cross from a metre out, for his second of the night and 22nd of the campaign.
Real made life difficult for themselves against mid-table visitors twice going behind to goals from Carlos Aranda and Krisztian Vadocz.
Ronaldo and Marcelo grabbed the equalisers before the break.
Barcelona have 90 points after beating Villarreal 4-1 away on Saturday and are one point ahead of Real, with three matches to play.
Real got off to an awful start when defender Raul Albiol failed to control a ball and allowed Aranda to break away and score after only seven minutes.
Ronaldo put them level in the 25th after streaking off the left flank to score from the edge of the area, but the hosts’ were found wanting at the back again from an Osasuna throw in.
They failed to clear the ball and Vadocz smashed a spectacular volley past Iker Casillas in the 43rd, though Real only needed a minute to equalise this time, Marcelo nodding in from close range.
A nail-biting second half had Casillas saving point-blank from Aranda and Osasuna’s Masoud missing an open goal before Ronaldo rose above the mediocrity to keep the title race alive with his late strike.
