Grimaldo and Jonathan David strike as Diego Simeone’s side beat José Mourinho’s Real Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano
Atlético Madrid claimed bragging rights in the first Madrid derby of the La Liga season after beating 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday.
Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David scored in the second half to give Diego Simeone’s side a deserved victory, while Antonio Rüdiger’s late header was not enough to rescue José Mourinho’s team.
The match changed dramatically shortly after the restart when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was sent off after pulling down Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area.
After a VAR review, the referee upgraded the initial yellow card to a straight red and awarded Atlético a penalty.
Grimaldo stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to put the hosts ahead in the 53rd minute.
Real Madrid were forced to play with 10 men, and Atlético quickly took advantage of the numerical superiority.
Six minutes later, Jonathan David doubled the lead when he finished Giuliano Simeone’s low cross, giving the Canadian international his third goal in three La Liga appearances for the club.
Real struggled to respond despite having several of their biggest attacking names on the pitch, with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior unable to make a decisive impact.
Atlético came close to adding a third, but Thibaut Courtois produced an excellent save to deny Julián Álvarez, while Ibrahima Konaté made a crucial goal-line clearance.
Real finally found a way back into the contest in the 89th minute when Rüdiger headed Bernardo Silva’s free-kick past Jan Oblak.
The visitors pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but Atlético held firm to secure all three points.
The victory moved Atlético Madrid above Real Madrid in the La Liga table, with Simeone’s side climbing to second on 16 points, while Real remained on 15 points. Barcelona led the standings on 21 points.
The result also brought an end to Mourinho’s perfect La Liga record against Simeone from his first spell at Real Madrid, when he won all three of their league meetings.
However, the aftermath of the derby was dominated by controversy, with Mourinho strongly criticising the officiating and arguing that Atlético players Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in should also have been sent off for challenges on Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
Simeone, meanwhile, called for restraint and urged both sides to maintain respect after a fiercely contested derby.
