Atletico Madrid defeat ten-man Real Madrid 2-1 in derby as Barcelona lead widens

Second-half dismissal at the Metropolitano

The Madrid derby at the Metropolitano remained scoreless through a quiet first half before turning sharply early in the second period. In the 50th minute, former Feyenoord defender Dávid Hancko delivered a through ball to Argentine forward Giuliano Simeone. Real Madrid central defender Dean Huijsen was beaten by the run and pulled Simeone to the ground inside the penalty box. The referee initially showed Huijsen a yellow card, but a video assistant referee review led to the decision being upgraded to a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Huijsen, who was born in the Netherlands and missed Spain's World Cup victory, had recently been called up by national team manager Luis de la Fuente for upcoming Nations League fixtures against England, the Czech Republic, and two matches against Croatia.

Goals from Grimaldo and David

Huijsen's expulsion gave Atlético Madrid an immediate opportunity from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute. Spanish left back Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up and beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a penalty to put Diego Simeone's side ahead 1-0. Following the opening goal, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho made an immediate tactical adjustment by substituting Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior. Six minutes after the penalty, Atlético extended their lead when Giuliano Simeone provided an assist for Canadian striker Jonathan David, who finished past Courtois to make the score 2-0 in the 59th minute.

Late fightback and tactical changes

Trailing by two goals and playing with ten men, Real Madrid attempted to alter the match through late substitutions. Mourinho introduced midfielder Bernardo Silva in the 80th minute to provide attacking creativity. The change produced a goal in the 89th minute when Silva delivered an assist for defender Antonio Rüdiger, who scored with a header to narrow the deficit to 2-1. Atlético Madrid held firm throughout stoppage time to secure the home victory and overtake their city rivals in the league standings.

Title race standings and scoring chart

The defeat leaves Real Madrid six points behind league leaders FC Barcelona after seven rounds of La Liga fixtures. It marks the second league loss of the campaign for Mourinho's side, following a 1-0 defeat against Real Betis on 4 September courtesy of a goal by Troy Parrott. FC Barcelona hold maximum points at the top of the table with 21 points from seven matches and a goal difference of 31-7. Manager Hansi Flick's team secured a 3-1 victory away at Sevilla FC on Saturday evening behind a hat-trick from Brazilian forward Raphinha. Barcelona face a challenging run following the upcoming international window, which includes a meeting with Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October.

In the league individual scoring race, Raphinha leads all players with 12 goals through seven matches. Three players share second place with seven goals each: Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, and Rayo Vallecano attacker Sergio Camello.