Atletico Madrid beat ten-man Real Madrid 2-1 to climb into second place in La Liga

Second-half breakthrough at the Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano stadium in the 306th edition of the Madrid derby during the seventh round of La Liga fixtures. The opening half featured intense physical battles and limited scoring chances, with Atletico controlling possession while finding difficulty breaking through the defensive setup. Real Madrid generated the first clear attempt in the 41st minute, when Jan Oblak made a difficult save to deny Arda Güler. Shortly after the restart, Thibaut Courtois parried an effort from Álex Baena in the 48th minute. Two minutes later, Giuliano Simeone ran onto a 40-metre pass behind the away defence, prompting Dean Huijsen to haul him down inside the penalty area. Following a video assistant referee review, referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz issued Huijsen a straight red card. Álex Grimaldo took the spot kick in the 53rd minute, finding the net despite Courtois diving in the correct direction.

Late push and physical altercations

Operating with a numerical advantage, Diego Simeone's squad doubled their lead in the 59th minute through a rapid attacking move. Giuliano Simeone drove down the flank and delivered a low parallel cross into the box, allowing Canadian forward Jonathan David to slide the ball into the net. Atletico Madrid pushed to extend their advantage, but Thibaut Courtois and Ibrahima Konaté blocked close-range attempts from Giuliano Simeone and Álex Baena. Courtois also pulled off a reflex save in the 65th minute to deny a header from Romero. Real Madrid cut the deficit in the 89th minute when Antonio Rüdiger rose to meet Bernardo Silva's free kick delivery, sending a header past Oblak. Despite intense pressure across second-half stoppage time, Atletico Madrid defended their lead to secure the derby win.

Real Madrid protest match officiating

The physical nature of the encounter led to multiple confrontations between players on the pitch. Jude Bellingham engaged in a heated exchange with Giuliano Simeone following a hard challenge, while Antonio Rüdiger clashed with Morten Hjulmand near full time. After the final whistle, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho conducted his press conference with visual aids, presenting video replays and stills of specific incidents where he maintained Atletico Madrid players deserved dismissals. Real Madrid subsequently published an official club statement criticising referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz. The statement argued that Ortiz failed to handle the pressure required for matches of this level. The club pointed to an unpenalised tackle on the ankle of Federico Valverde alongside a heavy challenge by Romero on Jude Bellingham. In the VIP seating area, Real Madrid club president Florentino Pérez watched the match in proximity to former presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme.

Title race standings after matchday seven

The victory earned Atletico Madrid three points, elevating them to second place in the La Liga table with a total of 16 points from seven matches. The defeat left José Mourinho's Real Madrid in third place on 15 points, trailing Atletico by one point. Both capital clubs remain adrift of league leaders Barcelona, who hold a six-point advantage over Real Madrid after winning all seven of their opening fixtures to amass 21 points.