Match report: Atleti win big in the red-and-white derby | OneFootball

The Madrid derby came at a very important moment for Atlético de Madrid, with Barça on a hot streak and not putting a foot wrong, and with RealMadrid ahead in the standings. Los Colchoneros needed to win to avoid opening up a big gap and going into the break with mixed feelings.

And everything went smoothly. It was a turning point, and they stepped up, beating Madrid 2-1, moving above them in the standings, leaving with good feelings, and making the consecutive setbacks in Bilbao and Liverpool feel almost anecdotal.

The three straight wins at Anoeta against Real Sociedad and at the Metropolitano against Osasuna and Madrid have recharged the optimism, especially as we are seeing the return of a true number nine, above all embodied by Jonathan David, who scored again. Meanwhile, Julián Álvarez, still lacking rhythm, tried hard but without much precision.

In the first half we saw an Atleti side with Llorente in midfield, and a defense of Hancko, Pubill, Cuti and Grimaldo, with Johnny also in the starting eleven (he put in another great performance), as did the Canadian David.

It was an exchange of blows with spells of dominance, as chances came and went (though not as clear as the ones we saw in the second half). In the 32nd minute, the red-and-whites had a double chance, with Courtois making a fine save from Kang In Lee and then Konaté dealing with a second-ball effort from Hancko that he did not catch cleanly.

In the 36th minute we had a controversial moment involving Bellingham and Cuti Romero, after a coming together over a loose ball that was initially given as a foul and a yellow card for the Englishman. VAR called the referee over to review a possible red card for the Argentine. But the final decision was to cancel the yellow shown and give Romero a yellow instead.

There were also appeals over a challenge by Lee on Valverde, but that incident went no further, just like a long-range effort from Güler, which Oblak dealt with very well.

It was 0-0, and everything would change in the second half.

Goals, ambition and a red-and-white victory

Things changed quickly after the restart. In the 46th minute, Baena tested the Belgian goalkeeper with a clear chance to open the scoring, but Madrid’s keeper responded confidently.

But in the very next attacking move from the red-and-whites, a long ball found Giuliano, who got in behind the defense, broke through on his own, and was pulled back by Huijsen, preventing him from going one-on-one with Courtois.

The initial yellow card was changed to a red after a logical VAR review, since the Madrid defender was the last man, had no chance of playing the ball, and it was a clear goalscoring opportunity. Grimaldo once again coolly converted the penalty to make it 1-0 and put the match on the right track.

And just as Julián was going over to the touchline to replace Jonathan David, in the 59th minute Giuliano made a run, delivered a cross into the heart of the box, and the Canadian got on the end of it to make it 2-0, a scoreline that would put victory out of reach for Los Blancos.

From then on, Atleti were utterly dominant, with Julián Álvarez looking very eager to get off the mark in front of goal (though still far from his best form), and a lapse from a set piece cost Atleti a goal that made for nervy final minutes and denied Oblak another clean sheet. Even so, he was a key figure with several interventions in the second half, after a few errors during Atleti’s strongest spell that could have put at risk the comfort with which they ended up winning.

Atleti now head into the international break with a good feeling, building rhythm, and with the team increasingly taking on the shape Simeone wants, so they can fight for trophies this season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.