Atletico Madrid clinched a well-deserved victory over fierce rivals Real Madrid in a heated derby to move above them on the La Liga table in the first Derby of the season at the Wanda Metropolitano.
The game was evenly tied until Dean Hujsen was red-carded in the opening minutes of the second half after bringing down Giuliano Simeone inside Real Madrid’s box. Atletico Madrid capitalized quickly with two quick-fire goals from Alex Grimaldo and on-loan striker Jonathan David. Antonio Rudiger came off the bench and scored a header for the visitors late on, but it was not enough as Atleti saw out a famous victory. Tempers flared in the derby and cards were shown out repeatedly as the referee tried to keep the heated atmosphere under control.
Atletico leapfrogged Real Madrid on the La Liga table and moved to 2nd place, behind defending Champions and leaders FC Barcelona.
Hujsen’s moment of recklessness
The two sides were evenly matched in the first half, but Diego Simeone’s side were walking on a tightrope. Cristian Romero was lucky to be spared and was given a yellow card for a nasty tackle on Jude Bellingham as the first half wound to a close, a perceived injustice by Real Madrid. The visitors threatened in the 39th minute, but Jan Oblak handled it with the experience and calm of a pro.
Atletico started the second half on the front foot, and Thibaut Courtois was called into action, parrying a shot away to keep the scores tied. The match’s balance went up in smoke as Dean Hujsen was penalized for bringing Simeone down in Real’s box. He was originally awarded a yellow card but following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, the yellow card was upgraded to a red card, and he was given his marching orders. Subsequently, Atleti were awarded a penalty.
Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up and buried the penalty calmly in the 53rd minute, sending the ball into the net beyond Courtois, who dived in the right direction. Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler were withdrawn for Yan Diomande and Antonio Rudiger, respectively, as Mourinho sought defensive stability.
Real Madrid’s luck worsens
Real Madrid’s fortunes went from bad to worse as Jonathan David doubled Atleti’s lead six minutes after they went behind. The hosts capitalised on their numerical superiority and picked Madrid apart easily before Simeone rolled a cross across to an unmarked David in Real Madrid’s 18-yard box to tap the ball into the net beyond Courtois. The goal was his third goal across three La Liga appearances and fourth goal involvement for Atletico since joining in the summer.
Atleti came close to extending their lead in the 66th minute. Still, Courtois pulled off a stunning save with his superhuman reflexes before Rudiger put his body on the line and cleared the follow-up shot off the goal line while simultaneously providing another goal-saving clearance to nullify the danger.
Substitute Diomande managed to squeeze a shot at Oblak despite being outnumbered, but the goalkeeper denied him brilliantly. Real Madrid’s substitutes turned up to the occasion and justified their inclusion by giving the Los Blancos faithful some hope.
Rudiger rose highest and planted a pinpoint header to fellow substitute Bernardo Silva’s inswinging cross to give the visitors a lifeline in the derby a minute before the end of normal time with his first goal of the season and Silva’s first goal involvement since joining on a free transfer. Ultimately, Atletico held on for the three points and an unforgettable victory. It was a dreamy afternoon for Simeone, who got one over Mourinho and Real Madrid. The Argentine coach finally secured a long-awaited derby win in the league against Jose Mourinho, after losing all three derbies to him during his first spell in charge of Madrid.
The reverse was the case for Jose Mourinho, who lost a LaLiga Madrid derby for the first time in his career. He had won all six of his clashes with Atletico Madrid in the Spanish top-flight before today.
Mourinho blames refereeing decisions
Mourinho attacked the referee and questioned his competence in a post-match conference, and the club backed his comments with a press release afterwards.
“Real Madrid lose the derby at the Metropolitano in a match marked by Ortiz Arias’ very terrible refereeing”.
“He failed to send off Cuti Romero in the first half for stepping on Bellingham’s knee, nor did he send off Kang-In Lee for stepping on Valverde’s left ankle. Both decisions had an impact on the match, which was ultimately decided in Atlético’s favour in the second half.”
Real have now lost two La Liga matches in seven since Mourinho’s return, and they look less and less like title contenders, especially beside Hansi Flick’s high-scoring Barcelona side, which has won all seven games and scored 31 goals. They dropped to fourth in the table after Real Betis’ 1-1 draw at Deportivo.
