Real Madrid won this derby 3-2. But for long stretches of it, you wouldn’t have believed that was coming.
Watching the first half live, the thing that stood out immediately was how structured and organised Atletico looked. Simeone set up in a 4-4-2, kept his shape compact, and made Real Madrid’s life genuinely difficult.
The Channel Atletico Kept Attacking
Atletico kept sending runners into the channel between Rudiger and Fran Garcia on Real Madrid’s left side. Again and again. It wasn’t accidental. They had clearly identified that gap before the match and built their attacking plan around it.
Fran Garcia is a naturally attacking left back. He wants to push forward. And every time he did, that space behind him opened up. In the 33rd minute, Lookman found that channel again and finished clinically to make it 1-0. The xG on that chance was just 0.02, which tells you everything about how well the movement was timed.
Real Madrid’s Build-Up Problem
Atletico’s 4-4-2 mid-block did exactly what it was designed to do. A flat midfield four sitting compact forces the ball wide and makes central passing lanes almost impossible to find.
The person Arbeloa picked to help solve the build-up problem was 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch. Against Atletico he completed 88.3% of his passes and provided the stability in midfield that Real Madrid have been missing since Kroos left. For an 18-year-old in a Madrid derby. Remarkable.
The Moment the Game Turned
When Vinicius converted a penalty in the 52nd minute to make it 1-1, the game opened up completely. Three minutes later Valverde scored to make it 2-1. Then Atletico equalised through Molina with a stunning 30-metre strike.
At that point Real Madrid brought on Mbappe and Alexander-Arnold, both of whom had been benched for turning up late to training. Alexander-Arnold came on, switched the play, and Vinicius curled the winner into the top corner in the 72nd minute.
Ten Men and a 93rd-Minute Save
Valverde was sent off in the 77th minute. Real Madrid had to defend a one-goal lead with ten men for 13 minutes plus stoppage time. They did it. Lunin saved from Sorloth in the 93rd minute to secure the three points.
What This Means for the Title Race
Real Madrid are now four points behind Barcelona with nine games remaining. Arbeloa’s message with this result was clear: stars earn their place through attitude first, talent second. And right now, that system is working.
