Jude Bellingham scored his first club goal of the season on Saturday to end a drought that had lasted almost six months.
The former Borussia Dortmund player netted 23 goals for Madrid last season but had gone 14 games without scoring prior to this weekend’s La Liga clash with Osasuna at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham ended his dry spell in style with a cheeky lobbed finish that appeared to suggest that he had not lost any confidence despite his poor run of scoring form.
He ran onto a long-range through pass from Raul Asencio before calmly lifting the ball over the keeper’s head with his first touch.
The goal was a product of something Thierry Henry recently claimed Bellingham was doing too much during Madrid games.
Jude Bellingham scored his first Real Madrid goal of the season on Saturday against Osasuna
Bellingham beat Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera with a perfectly-judged chipped finish
Henry claimed following Madrid’s 3-1 defeat by AC Milan earlier in the week that Bellingham was making too many runs in behind the opposition’s defence
However, Henry’s criticism was seemingly aimed at Kylian Mbappe, rather than Bellingham, with the Arsenal legend suggesting that the English No 10 was making those runs reluctantly because his team-mate was not.
Henry said during his analysis for CBS Sports: ‘It’s always Bellingham trying to make the run, trying to make the team play, running in behind, trying to break the line.
‘I think there is a little frustration. Your nine isn’t going, and your 10 is going. I know it can happen sometimes but not all the time. Every single time.
‘I know he (Mbappe) is not a [natural] number nine and that this maybe is not what he likes to do.
‘Do you think he (Bellingham) likes to make those runs, try and stretch the team? He’ll do it because he has to do it, because his desire speaks, his will speaks.
‘You don’t win games like that. You don’t win games with your 10 breaking the line, coming back, trying to bend his run, trying to defend, trying to go the other side.’
Bellingham was substituted off in the 74th minute of Tuesday’s defeat by Milan. He reacted angrily by kicking a bottle near the Madrid dugout.
Bellingham had gone 14 club games without a goal prior to finding the net on Saturday
He had reacted angrily to being subbed off in Madrid’s previous game – a 3-1 loss to AC Milan
Bellingham was congratulated on Saturday by team-mate and striker Kylian Mbappe (right)
Thierry Henry, pictured on CBS Sports, had been critical of Mbappe after Madrid lost to Milan
‘I would have been upset too,’ Henry added. ‘I saw him kicking a bottle. I would be upset also, of course.’
Bellingham’s drought-busting goal against Osasuna on Saturday came in the 42nd minute of a mixed first half for Madrid.
Madrid went into the interval 2-0 up, after Bellingham had earlier assisted Vinicius Junior for the opener.
However, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was forced into two substitutions as central defender Eder Militao and fellow Brazilian Rodrygo both left the field in tears after picking up injuries.
Madrid had gone into Saturday’s game on the back of two disappointing defeats. Tuesday’s loss to Milan had come just 72 hours after a 4-0 Clasico thrashing by Barcelona.
Ancelotti already had multiple injury issues, with David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois all listed as long-term absentees, before Aurelien Tchouameni suffered an ankle sprain against Milan.
The Italian will now be hoping that the injuries suffered by Militao and Rodrygo are not overly serious, although the players’ reactions suggest they could well be.
Despite those injury blows, Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory on Saturday.
Eder Militao pictured covering his eyes with his hands after leaving the field on a stretcher
Rodrygo also left the pitch early and was later pictured crying on the bench with ice on his leg
Vinicius added two more goals after half-time to complete his hat-trick.
He made it 3-0 just after the hour-mark when he raced onto a big kick from Andriy Lunin before cooly dribbling around the Osasuna keeper.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up then completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute following some superb pressing from Brahim Diaz.
Bellingham and Vinicius were both given a rest after being subbed off with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Vinicius departed having recorded six shots, completed seven dribbles, played two key passes and won four free-kicks.
Madrid’s dominant win took them to within six points of La Liga leaders Barcelona after 12 rounds of fixtures.
But Barca can move nine clear again if they take maximum points from their trip to Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Vinicius Junior was Saturday’s player of the match after scoring an impressive hat-trick
In-form Brazilian Vinicius has now scored nine goals in his last six appearances for Madrid
Madrid now have 15 days without a game as top-level club football pauses for an international break.
Their next match is away at Leganes on November 24, three days before they visit Liverpool in the Champions League.
As things stand, Antonio Rudiger is the only fit senior centre back in the Madrid squad.
Asencio, 21, had never played for Madrid’s first-team before being brought on to replace Militao on Saturday.
The Bernabeu fell silent in the 84th minute when Rudiger went down and appeared to be in pain. However, the former Chelsea star eventually got back to his feet and was able to complete the full 90.
Saturday’s clean sheet was only Madrid’s second in 11 matches.
