In full pursuit of Barcelona, which started the night with a seven-point lead, Real Madrid met up again with Atlético, one of its worst memories of the season, which found the first avenues of water for Xabi Alonso’s project. It is a very brave event wherever everyone is, an exchange of blows in which Simeone’s team usually sets the tone. But this Madrid of Arbeloa has rescued its reserves of wild spirit and also resistance. First he burned a section of Atlético, who held on strong and took the lead, then he recovered with volleys from Vinicius and Valverde, and when the referee sent off the Uruguayan for a challenge on Baena, another old story of these hectic derbies, he held on to hold the pulse of the League for another week.
3
Andrii Lunin, Fran García, Antonio Rüdiger, Dani Carvajal (Trent Alexander-Arnold, min. 63), Dean Huijsen, Federico Valverde, Thiago Pitarch (Kylian Mbappé, min. 63), Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler (Jude Bellingham, min. min. 73) and Vinícius Júnior (Alvaro Carreras, min. 86)
2
Juan Musso, Matteo Ruggeri, Dávid Hancko, Robin Le Normand (José María Giménez, min. 45), Marcos Llorente, Koke, Ademola Lookman (Nahuel Molina, min. 56), Giuliano Simeone (Alex Baena, min. 70), Johnny Cardoso (Nico Antoine González, min. 56), Griezmann (Alexander Sørloth, min. 56) y Julián Alvarez
Goals
0-1 min. 32: Lookman. 1-1 min. 51: Vinicius Junior. 2-1 min. 54: Valverde. 2-2 min. 65: Nahuel Molina. 3-2 min. 71: Vinicius Junior
Referee José Luis Munuera Montero
yellow cards
Johnny (min. 26), Ruggeri (min. 35), Hancko (min. 60), Thiago (min. 62), Marcos Llorente (min. 67)
red cards
Valverde (min. 76)
Everything started the opposite of usual. , Madrid once again deployed the electric version in which Thiago provides the downloads. It came out like Atlético has come out many other times, leaving Real with the astonishment that comes with finding itself face to face with unbridled conviction. With Arbeloa, no. Cholo’s team was trying to get together to block roads.
Barely two minutes had passed when Vinicius outwitted four rivals by tightrope walking on the touchline. He crossed the pass to the other side, where Carvajal was arriving, and the defender, starting due to Trent’s delay in training, verified that Musso was awake. Atleti began trying to go after Real, but found that Valverde skipped the trick with a self-pass against Hancko. He flipped the supersonic dash switch, and hit the club.
Cholo’s team responded immediately with a tackle from Griezmann, who left the ball behind for Llorente. The winger finished from point-blank range and ran into Lunin, as alive as Musso, the other secondary goalkeeper who appeared in the derby for and Oblak.
From then on, Simeone withdrew the troops. Madrid could withstand its most energetic version, driven by the pressure of Thiago, Valverde and Brahim. Behind his thefts, danger always loomed, launched by the inertia of the wild discharge. That spirit functioned as fuel for defense, and also for attack. There the pressing team moved very dynamically, with a lot of exchange of places and a certain haste with the ball. Atlético remained lethargic and confident, with Griezmann also ordering the resistance in what was probably his last visit to the Bernabéu.
Then, in the middle of the downpour, Lookman found an exit on the left, he joined Ruggeri, Giuliano appeared to leave a backheel, again to Lookman, who surpassed Lunin. Atlético had gone ahead when it seemed increasingly inevitable that Real would score. Arbeloa’s team was baffled. He continued to monopolize the ball, but he was much heavier than before. They moved it with a more tiring rhythm. Also their footballers, increasingly static, a panorama of easy handling for the rival.
atletico
They needed to go through the locker room to regain momentum, to be able to unleash another volley. Brahim stood in the area, almost stepping on the baseline and clouded Hancko. The man from Malaga handles dribbling with indecipherable skill. That he is about to try something is disturbing. And that was when the Slovakian center-back hit him. Vinicius scored a penalty again, he has scored four of the last five he has taken with Mbappé injured or on the bench. The flash did not stop there. Valverde pressed Giménez, stole the ball from him and scored with the outside. The herdsman had found the prize that was elusive in the first act.
Seeing himself from behind, Simeone reacted with three changes: he brought in Sorloth, Nico and Nahuel for Griezmann, Cardoso and Lookman. Arbeloa also maneuvered with Trent and Mbappé for Carvajal and Thiago.
Atlético took a couple of steps forward towards enemy territory and Nahuel unleashed a far right hand that nailed diagonally into Lunin’s corner. It was a sharp, straight hit: devastating. The course of the meeting had changed again, but this time it was not definitive either. Madrid escaped on the counter and Vinicius, very well watched by Llorente all night, managed to create space to unload a shot at the far post with which Madrid captured the victory after resisting the last stretch with ten due to the expulsion of Valverde, a time in which Bellingham also returned. Real extends the fight for the League, which will resume in April, but without the soul of the Uruguayan, who will be sanctioned.
