Atlético Madrid claimed the first Madrid derby of the La Liga season after defeating 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in a fiercely contested encounter at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday.
The derby remained goalless for 45 minutes, but the match exploded into life immediately after the break when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was sent off following a VAR review. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty before Jonathan David doubled Atlético’s advantage six minutes later.
Real Madrid refused to surrender and Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back with an 89th-minute header, but Atlético survived a tense finish to secure all three points. The victory moved Diego Simeone’s side above their city rivals in the early La Liga standings.
The opening half was dominated by intensity rather than goals. Both teams understood the importance of the derby and were unwilling to give their opponents easy opportunities.
Atlético had the better early openings, with Jonathan David coming close inside the opening minute after the hosts launched a quick counterattack. His effort from close range, however, failed to beat Thibaut Courtois.
Real Madrid gradually settled into the contest and Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior attempted to stretch the Atlético defence, but Jan Oblak and his back line remained alert.
The first half also produced controversy.
Atlético defender Cristian Romero was involved in a heavy challenge on Jude Bellingham that left the Real Madrid midfielder in pain. Bellingham was initially shown a yellow card, but VAR reviewed the incident and the decision was changed, with Romero receiving the booking instead. The incident added even more tension to an already heated derby.
The teams went into the interval level at 0-0, but the second half was a completely different story.
Just seven minutes after the restart, Real Madrid’s defensive structure collapsed under pressure. Giuliano Simeone raced into the penalty area and was brought down by Dean Huijsen.
Referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias initially awarded a penalty and showed Huijsen a yellow card. VAR then intervened and instructed the referee to review the incident. After checking the footage, Ortiz Arias upgraded the punishment to a straight red card because Huijsen had denied a clear scoring opportunity as the last defender.
Real Madrid were suddenly down to 10 men, and Atlético immediately took advantage.
Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up to take the penalty in the 53rd minute. The former Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen defender kept his composure and sent Courtois the wrong way to put Atlético 1-0 ahead.
The goal came on Grimaldo’s 31st birthday, making the moment even more memorable for the Atlético wing-back.
Real Madrid barely had time to reorganise before Atlético struck again.
Six minutes later, Giuliano Simeone was involved once more. After his decisive contribution to the penalty, the Atlético attacker delivered an excellent cross into the box, where Jonathan David finished with his left foot to make it 2-0 in the 59th minute.
David’s goal was his third consecutive league goal and showed why Atlético had brought the Canadian striker to Madrid.
Two goals behind and playing with 10 men, Real Madrid faced a difficult final half-hour.
José Mourinho responded with substitutions, including bringing Antonio Rüdiger into the match. Atlético continued to create opportunities, but Courtois kept Real Madrid alive with several important saves.
The Belgian goalkeeper was particularly busy as Atlético looked for a third goal. Sofascore recorded five saves from Courtois, including important interventions that prevented the score from becoming more damaging.
Atlético also had to deal with their own disciplinary concerns. Romero’s yellow card remained one of the major talking points, while Real Madrid’s Denzel Dumfries was also booked shortly after the restart.
There was no confirmed goal-line or crossbar incident in the main match reports, although both sides had dangerous opportunities. The most significant defensive intervention came from Ibrahima Konaté, who produced a crucial clearance as Real Madrid attempted to force their way back into the match.
With the clock approaching 90 minutes, Real Madrid finally found a way through.
Rüdiger rose highest from a free-kick delivery and headed the ball beyond Oblak in the 89th minute, reducing Atlético’s lead to 2-1 and setting up a nervy finish.
Suddenly, the 10-man visitors believed they could complete an extraordinary comeback.
Atlético, however, defended desperately during the remaining minutes and managed the closing stages carefully. Oblak and his defenders dealt with the crosses and pressure from Real Madrid, while Simeone’s substitutions helped his team protect the narrow advantage.
The final whistle eventually arrived with Atlético still ahead.
The 2-1 victory gave Atlético their third consecutive league win and moved them to second place with 16 points, while Real Madrid dropped to third on 15 points. Barcelona remained top after their perfect start to the campaign.
For Atlético, it was a derby victory built around two decisive moments: Grimaldo’s penalty and David’s clinical finish.
For Real Madrid, the red card proved costly. Huijsen’s dismissal transformed the match, leaving Mourinho’s team to play almost the entire second half with 10 men. Rüdiger’s late header provided hope, but Atlético had already done enough damage.
The Metropolitano erupted at the final whistle as Atlético celebrated a memorable derby victory.
Final Score: Atlético Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid
Goals:
Alejandro Grimaldo 53′ (penalty)
Jonathan David 59′ (assist: Giuliano Simeone)
Antonio Rüdiger 89′
Red Card: Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid, 52′ following a VAR review for denying a clear scoring opportunity in the penalty area.
Key Yellow Card: Cristian Romero, Atlético Madrid, after VAR review of his challenge on Jude Bellingham.
