History
Founded in 1920, Osasuna first reached the Segunda División in 1932 and La Liga three seasons later.
The club achieved their first ever UEFA Cup qualification in 1985–86 after finishing sixth, eventually reaching the third round in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup. After inishing last in 1993–94, the side spent returned to the second tier for six seasons. They played their first-ever Copa del Rey final on 11 June 2005, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Real Betis after extra time in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
After a stellar 2005–06 domestic campaign, Osasuna finished a joint-best fourth due to their head-to-head record against fifth-placed Sevilla and qualified for the next season's UEFA Champions League, subject to the result of a play-off. This play-off was lost against German club Hamburg, but Osasuna ended up in the UEFA Cup for the fifth time in their history.
Osasuna were drawn in Group D of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup along with Parma, Lens, Odense and Heerenveen. The club qualified for the knock-out stage, finishing second in their group, and were drawn against Bordeaux. Osasuna progressed 1–0 on aggregate, drawing 0–0 away before winning 1–0 in Pamplona through an extra-time winner by Javad Nekounam.
Next up were Glasgow Rangers, and Osasuna again progressed, following a 1–1 draw in Scotland and a 1–0 win at home. They were drawn against German side Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals. Regarded as severe underdogs, they not only progressed to the semifinals but did so in style (a 3–0 away win had virtually sealed the tie, but the Rojillos also won the second leg, 1–0); in the last-four round the club was drawn against holders and fellow Spanish side Sevilla, eventually losing 1–2 on aggregate after a 1–0 home win.
In the following two seasons, Osasuna struggled in the league. In 2008–09, they only avoided relegation in the final day: being in 18th place and going into the final matchday, home to Real Madrid, they fell behind 1–0, but came back with two goals (the decider courtesy of Juanfran, a Real Madrid youth graduate) to remain in the top flight.
Read more about this topic: CA Osasuna
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