Madrid Derby: Atleti Extends Home Winning Streak vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid have suffered their second defeat of the La Liga season after losing to Atletico Madrid in the first Madrid derby of the campaign.

The game was goalless at halftime, but Dean Huijsen’s red card early in the second half completely flipped the contest. Atlético Madrid took advantage of their numerical superiority to put two past Thibaut Courtois before Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back late on for a consolation goal.

A Cautious First Half

The first Madrid Derby of the season started with the expected intensity. Álex Baena and Arda Güler weren’t exactly the two players we expected to be at each other’s throats.

Diego Simeone was unsurprisingly one of the first people involved in the drama, picking up a yellow card after complaining about Güler’s reaction to the referee and his decision to wave an imaginary card. Something something pot calling the kettle black.

Beyond the early incidents, however, the first half was relatively balanced.

Both teams created opportunities, with Kang-in Lee becoming increasingly influential as the half progressed. Real Madrid struggled to consistently get into Atlético’s penalty area and instead relied heavily on long-range efforts from Vinícius Jr, Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni.

One of the biggest patterns from the first half was Real Madrid’s heavy reliance on the left side to create their attacks.

Atlético Madrid took a different approach, creating more opportunities from the right. As the game progressed, both teams began to understand where their opponents were trying to attack from and were able to successfully neutralize the opposing threat.

But neither side was able to establish complete control, and that resulted in a lacklustre opening 45 minutes.

Huijsen Red Card Changes Everything

The second half started disastrously for Real Madrid.

Dean Huijsen brought down Giuliano Simeone at the edge of the penalty area 7 minutes after the restart, resulting in a red card and a penalty. Real Madrid were suddenly down to 10 men and a defender down against the rapid attack of David and Giuliano.

Alex Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty to give Atleti the lead. Just six minutes later, Jonathan David doubled their advantage with an assist once again from in-form Giuliano Simeone.

Real Madrid were now facing a two-goal deficit while playing with 10 men for the last half hour, leaving them with very few options. Antonio Rüdiger did manage to pull one back late in the game, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation as Atlético held on for the victory.

Mourinho’s Decisions Raise Questions

Until Huijsen’s red card, Real Madrid had a good hold on the game in the first 50 minutes.

The second half had only just begun, and had Real Madrid remained at full strength and avoided conceding the penalty, there was a possibility that they could have scored the opening goal themselves. Whether they would have been able to sustain that advantage is a different question.

Mourinho’s overall tactics weren’t necessarily poor, but his substitutions raised questions.

Taking off two wingers as soon as they went behind was certainly an interesting decision for a team that needed to attack and find a way back into the game. Vinícius Jr, who looked absolutely lost throughout the game, and creative spark Arda Güler, both got hooked for Yan Diomande and Antonio Rüdiger.

Bernardo Silva was only brought on in the 82nd minute, about 10-15 minutes too late. There was also the surprising omission of Carlos Espí.

Espí has repeatedly shown up for Real Madrid in clutch moments, particularly when the team needs a late goal. Yet Mourinho did not bring him on during the closing stages of the Madrid Derby.

Diomande Shows Promise on the Left

Yan Diomande was deployed on the left wing instead of his usual position on the right. Although he wasn’t at his best, there were positive moments from the youngster. He produced some good runs and arguably delivered one of his better performances in a Real Madrid shirt today on the left side.

Diomande also had opportunities to bring Real Madrid back into the game.

On many occasions, he had chances to find the final ball but kept losing possession. The winger lost possession for a grand total of 9 times in the 36 minutes he played. He also had an opportunity to chip Oblak when the goalkeeper was out of position, but failed to recognize the opportunity quickly enough.

Julián Alvarez Struggles Against Real Madrid

Julián Alvarez entered the Madrid Derby from the bench and was initially heavily booed by the Atlético Madrid supporters.

His performance was largely underwhelming, although he did force a good save from Thibaut Courtois with a shot at goal. More importantly, Alvarez had at least two opportunities to help Atlético extend their advantage with relatively simple passes to his teammates, but he took too much time on the ball.

That led some Atlético supporters to believe he was purposefully jeopardizing his own team’s chances.

Real Madrid Now Have Questions to Answer

The defeat leaves Real Madrid with two losses from their opening seven La Liga games.

The Madrid media has not turned on Mourinho so far, but the result will inevitably raise questions about the team’s performances and his decisions. Real Madrid are now third in the table, with Atletico Madrid moving one point ahead of them in second with 16 points. Barcelona sit comfortably at the top with 21 points.

The upcoming international break will give Mourinho and his players plenty to think about. With many of the squad members heading away with their national teams, Real Madrid will also be hoping to avoid further injuries before returning to domestic action.