Atleti dagger 10-man Real Madrid in tense derby to move second 🇪🇸

All eyes were on the Spanish capital this Sunday as Atlético de Madrid hosted crosstown rivals Real Madrid and beat them 2-1.

Scorers: Grimaldo 53' (P), David 59'; Rudiger 90'. Red: Huijsen 53'

It wasn't surprising to see challenges and tackles from both teams inside a Metropolitano draped in red. However, this matchup between two rivals was initially choppy and frustrating.

It saw studs often finding flesh, stars hitting the turf plus lippy reactions from players and managers alike. Diego Simeone was the first to earn a yellow card only five minutes into the game, before two more arrived.

Atlético repeatedly piled into the box with players looking for the quickest reaction. Real Madrid, meanwhile, kept trying to hit on the counterattack. Neither side found a final touch. The visitors registered the only shot on target by the break.

Looking at the data, Atleti registered the most fouls (10) in the opening 45 minutes against Real Madrid since April 2018.

In the second half, Simeone brought on Koke to add stability in midfield, while Jose Mourinho kept his initial selection. The Atleti captain was quickly called into action, needing to discuss some drama with the referee five minutes after the restart.

Dean Huijsen was caught sleeping at the back, and Giuliano Simeone beat him for pace. Seeing no other option, the Spaniard made initial contact outside the box, then grabbed his arm and dragged him down.

The VAR team upgraded the initial yellow card to a red card, and awarded a penalty kick. Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up and effortlessly sent his strike into the bottom left, past a diving Thibaut Courtois.

Down a man and somewhat shell-shocked, Los Blancos failed to recover from the issue. They conceded a second goal less than 10 minutes later after little communication in defence allowed Jonathan David to score another for his new club.

Neither Kylian Mbappé nor Jude Bellingham could generate anything sensational. The visitors looked lifeless, with little imagination or ideas. Atleti, meanwhile, were happy to run the clock out and ensure all three points remained at home following a comfortable game-plan execution.

The hosts did panic when Antonio Rudiger headed home from a set piece to make it 2-1 as the clock neared 90 minutes, but that was the only late drama.

The result means Atleti leapfrog Real Madrid into second (one point ahead) and sit five points off leaders Barcelona.

📸 Florencia Tan Jun - 2026 Getty Images