Real Madrid gave away what they thought was a certain victory in the Derbi madrileno. Marcos Llorente countered the goal of Brahim Diaz, who had only been called into the starting eleven at short notice, in stoppage time
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti made five changes to his starting eleven after the 2-0 win at Getafe. Carvajal, Kroos, Camavinga and Rodrygo started in place of the injured Rüdiger, Modric, Tchouameni and Joselu. In addition, Vinicuis Junior had to withdraw at short notice after the warm-up with cervical spine problems – Brahim Diaz took his place.
His opposite number Diego Simeone, on the other hand, made five changes from the 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano. Savic, de Paul, Koke, Griezmann and Morata rotated back into the first eleven for Reinildo, Vermeeren, Barrios, Depay and Correa.
Brahim Diaz with the lead
Real started offensively in the third meeting between the two teams in just under three weeks, with Bellingham (2) and Brahim Diaz (3) having two shots on target in the opening minutes. The Rojiblancos, on the other hand, needed a few more minutes before they got their first shot on target through Morata. During this phase, the game was fairly even, with possession passes alternating.
The home side took the lead in the 20th minute – and they also had a bit of luck on their side. Twice, three times the visitors flicked the ball to Real, Brahim Diaz thanked them and slotted home from a few meters. Atletico tried to respond directly, but Witsel failed to head the ball past Lunin (23′) and Savic was also unable to put the ball in the net from the subsequent corner (24′).
Real were always dangerous when they managed to play forward at pace. This was the case with Rodrygos in the 27th minute and Vazquez’s finish in the 32nd minute. Atletico, on the other hand, repeatedly tried to exploit the size deficit of temporary central defender Carvajal with high balls into the box. They succeeded to some extent, but Saul Niguez also headed the ball past the goal (37′). The Whites still had two half-chances through Rodrygo (42) and Fede Valverde (45-1) before going into the break 1-0 ahead
VAR concede a supposed equalizer – Marcos Llorente shocks Real late on
It took just four minutes after the break for Atletico to capitalize on a corner similar to the one they had taken in the 24th minute. However, Savic’s supposed equalizer was disallowed because Saul Niguez was offside – and in the eyes of the referees and the VAR, obstructed Lunin. However, Atletico were unable to carry the momentum forward, first Kroos had the chance to score (55′), then the visitors invited Real into the game with two mistakes – fortunately without consequences from their point of view (59′, 60′).
Real pulled back and relied more and more on switching play. However, Rodrygo was denied by Oblak (66′) and the ever-active Brahim Diaz was also unable to get the ball in the net after a great individual effort (70′). But Real were not free of mistakes either. However, Griezmann also failed to capitalize on Mendy’s blunder (77′). Real seemed to have the game under control, but Atletico launched a final offensive in the closing minutes. Griezmann first tried from distance (90′), before Marcos Llorente took advantage of an overly passive defensive move with a header in the third minute of stoppage time
Real thus miss out on pulling to within four points of their closest rivals Girona, who the Whites will face head-to-head next weekend (Saturday, 6.30pm). Atletico host Athletic Bilbao (9.30pm) in the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday before an away game at struggling Sevilla FC next Sunday (6.30pm).
