Beckham relieved after Real's victory

David Beckham and Real Madrid's under-fire galacticos are breathing a sigh of relief after a free-kick by the England captain secured a 1-0 win over Osasuna on Tuesday.

In Real's first match since the resignation of coach Jose Antonio Camacho, Beckham scored from 30 yards in the second half.

"It was important for us to win," Beckham said. "We were under a lot of pressure. We can play better but we can take heart from the togetherness of the team. It wasn't brilliant, but the thing was to win and it gets the fans on our side."

Real have come in for much criticism having lost 3-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Champions' League game and 1-0 to Espanyol in La Liga. Full-back Roberto Carlos was probably the happiest of their players to get all three points because he was barracked by spectators in the Bernabeu throughout the game.

"I am very surprised by the criticism of Robert Carlos, I don't know why he was singled out, maybe it was because the press had said senior players forced Camacho out," Beckham said.

The Englishman, who also scored with a free-kick in the win over Numancia at the start of the season, said the goal was just what he needed. His performances for Madrid, and for his country, have been less than impressive in recent times.

"Scoring goals like that are important and help your confidence," he said. "Maybe the referees are getting the walls to stand further back."

Another Englishman at Real, former Liverpool striker Michael Owen, is being used primarily as a substitute and has yet to open his account at the club. He only had 10 minutes in which to impress after being brought on late against the team from Pamplona.

"Its hard to start when it's already 1-0," Owen said. "You want to impress and to score goals when what you really have to do is run the ball into the corners. It's not ideal but you have to try your best."

Asked if Camacho's decision to quit was a shock, Owen said: "It's strange, but everyone to do with the club has assured me that it is not the norm for this to happen so soon but you just have to get on with it."

He denied that the club is now in turmoil and maintained that the squad remained focused. "Unfortunately all this is part of football. Players come and go as do managers but you just have to get on with it, there's nothing else you can do."

He also revealed that he believed there is no unrest in the Real dressing room. "Obviously I don't know all their conversations because of the language problem," Owen said.

"But from what I've seen I've been surprised how united the players are. When you have so many big stars that can sometimes not be the case.

"But the feeling I get when I go into the dressing is that it is very united," he added. "I don't know whether they are just rumours but I find it a good dressing room."