Spanish League: Atletico clinches derby against Real and extends their second loss of the season

Atletico Madrid settled the derby against their diminished neighbors Real Madrid with a 2-1 victory on Sunday at the Metropolitano stadium in the capital, in the seventh round of the Spanish football league.

Alejandro Grimaldo (53rd minute, penalty) and Canadian Jonathan David (59th minute) scored Atletico’s goals, while German Antonio Rudiger (89th minute) scored for Real Madrid, who played with ten men since the 52nd minute after the dismissal of their defensive anchor, international player Dean Houser.

This was the Royal Club’s second loss of the season, following the first away to Real Betis (0-1), dropping them to third place, one point behind Atletico Madrid, who temporarily rose to second place.

The runners-up of last season’s championship now trail their traditional rivals Barcelona, the title holders and the only team with a perfect record so far, by six points.

The turning point of the match was the sending-off of Houser for causing a penalty after pulling Julian Simeone’s shirt, son of Atletico coach Diego Simeone. Grimaldo successfully converted the spot-kick (53rd minute).

Real Madrid’s Portuguese manager, Jose Mourinho, made two substitutions immediately, bringing on defender Rudiger and Ivorian winger Yannick Djimande for Turkish midfielder Arda Guler and Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior (54th minute).

However, David doubled Atletico’s lead with the second goal following a pass from Simeone (59th minute).

Rudiger reduced the deficit just before the end of regular time with a header from a free-kick taken by Portuguese international Bernardo Silva, substitute for English international Jude Bellingham.

Mourinho pushed French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni into the starting lineup in place of Bernardo Silva, preferring defensive strength over creative attacking play.

The first half was characterized more by tension than by footballing display, as both teams failed to create clear chances.

The most notable incident was a clash between Bellingham and Atletico’s Argentine international defender Cristian Romero, where the English international launched a strong challenge before Romero stepped on his leg.

Referee Miguel Ortiz initially showed a yellow card to Bellingham, but reversed the decision after reviewing the incident with the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), issuing the card to the Atletico player instead.

Real Madrid also protested a strong challenge by South Korean Kang-in Lee against their captain, Uruguayan international Federico Valverde, which went unpunished before the end of the first half.

Mourinho considered both incidents worthy of red cards, complaining, “They were two clear cases deserving a sending-off… The difficulty we faced after (Houser’s dismissal) with 11 players against 10, imagine if we played 50 minutes with 11 players against nine.”

He added, “There are no miracles in football. 11 against 9, we can imagine how the match would have ended.”

For his part, Atletico midfielder Coki said the victory proved his team’s ability to compete for titles, stating, “We can compete with any team if we give 100 percent of our level.”

He added, “Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world, and today we showed that.”

The match was marked by competitiveness and strong physical challenges, but lacked the expected attacking flair compared to the star-studded lineup on the pitch, particularly in Real Madrid’s attack, which included Vinicius Junior, Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, and Bellingham, whose threat was largely neutralized.

The game erupted with energy at the start of the second half when Houser pulled Simeone’s shirt while the latter was running clear to goal, prompting the referee to award a penalty to Atletico.

After reviewing the footage via VAR, Houser received a red card, while Grimaldo successfully scored from the penalty spot against the Belgian giant and Atletico’s former goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois.

Mourinho quickly made substitutions, bringing off Vinicius and Arda Güler, who had failed to deliver the expected performance, and bringing in the club’s record signing, Youssouf Fofana, alongside Antonio Rüdiger.

However, Atlético Madrid were the side to deliver the next blow, as David exploited a precise pass from Simeone to score his third goal in three matches.

The home side nearly added a third goal, but Courtois brilliantly saved a shot from Argentina’s Julián Álvarez, who had come on as a substitute for David, before French international defender Ibrahima Konaté cleared Grimaldo’s header off the goal line.

Slovenian international goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved a shot from Fofana, while Jude Bellingham got into a confrontation with Simeone, a scene that reflected the frustration of Real Madrid players and their inability to change the course of the match.

Oblak said, “It’s unfortunate that we didn’t keep a clean sheet. We played a fairly good match, but we gave them a chance.”

He added, “It was important to win, but the Spanish league is still long.”

Real Madrid managed to narrow the deficit when Rüdiger rose to meet a cross from Silva and headed it into the net, but the goal came too late and was not enough to avoid defeat.

Getafe secured a hard-fought victory over newly promoted side Málaga with a single goal scored by Iván Asconegui in the 85th minute.

This was Getafe’s second win of the season, lifting their tally to eight points and moving them up to ninth place, while Málaga, who remain in last place, have three points from three draws.

Later, Villarreal will play Levante, Deportivo La Coruña will face Real Betis, and Valencia will take on Real Sociedad.