SOCCER:REAL Madrid's La Liga title hopes suffered a huge blow with a 1-0 defeat at Osasuna last night which left Jose Mourinho's side seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

Javier Camunas broke the deadlock with a shot off the post in the 62nd minute of a typically bruising battle at the Reyno de Navarra stadium. Mourinho responded with a triple substitution, throwing new loan signing Emmanuel Adebayor into the fray, but they were unable to find a way past a side who had not won in their previous eight games.

Real’s second defeat of the season left them second on 51 points from 21 games, behind Barcelona with 58, after the champions won their 15th consecutive match 3-0 at Hercules on Saturday. Lionel Messi scored two late goals as they matched the La Liga record of 15 straight wins set by Real Madrid in the 1960-61 season. Promoted Hercules stunned the champions with a 2-0 win at the Nou Camp back in September, the only defeat Barcelona have suffered in the league this season, and they made life tough for the visitors until Pedro struck just before the break. World player of the year Messi scored twice in as many minutes at the end after the hosts were reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card for Francisco Farinos in the 85th.

It could have been a different story at the Rico Perez if David Trezeguet had been able to put away a good chance in the 20th minute, as Hercules unsettled the visiting defence.

“It’s an immense honour to have 15 consecutive victories and to equal the record achieved by the Real Madrid of Di Stefano,” Barcelona coach Pep

Guardiola said. “I am sure some team will equal it or pass it one day but it is something no one has managed for 50 years.”