Croatian striker Ante Budimir has scored with 14 minutes left to give Osasuna a 1-0 win over Alaves in Spain's La Liga.
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The veteran centre forward stood out from kick-off on Tuesday (AEDT) in Pamplona due to his black protective mask and he got even more attention when he curled home a sublime strike from outside the box to break the deadlock for the home side in a tight match.
Until then, both sides struggled to create clear cut chances, with Alaves' Samu Omorodion coming closest seconds before halftime when he hit the post.
Budimir's 14th goal in 27 league games this season helped to extend Osasuna's unbeaten run to four matches.
"The mask has been good," he said of the protection following a nose injury against Las Palmas a week ago.
"It was the only way to play ... and playing is the only thing that matters.
"As for the goal, it was a clean strike. And then you just enjoy seeing it hit the net."
Osasuna rose to a point above Getafe and into 10th place. They're now six points behind six-placed Real Betis in the final European qualification spot.
Alaves remain 13th and 10 points above the relegation zone. The Basque club have gone five matches without a win and have hit the net only three times in their last six games.
Australian Associated Press
