Atletico Madrid climbed to second in La Liga with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 10-man Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday, leaving Jose Mourinho's side six points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
The match turned on a pivotal moment early in the second half when defender Dean Huijsen was shown a red card for pulling back Giuliano Simeone as the forward burst through on goal. Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea pointed to the spot after a VAR review, and Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up to convert the penalty past Thibaut Courtois in the 53rd minute.
Mourinho reacted immediately, withdrawing the ineffective Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler in favor of club record signing Yan Diomande and Antonio Rudiger. But Atletico struck again within six minutes. Giuliano Simeone delivered a raking low cross from the left and Jonathan David, the Canadian striker on loan from Juventus, tucked it away for his third goal in three matches.
The hosts could have extended their lead further when Courtois produced a fine save to deny Julian Alvarez, and Ibrahima Konate cleared Grimaldo's rebound effort off the line. Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was called into action at the other end, saving from Diomande as frustrations boiled over, with Jude Bellingham involved in a heated exchange with Giuliano Simeone.
Real Madrid pulled a goal back in the 89th minute when Rudiger headed home Bernardo Silva's cross, but it was too little too late. Mourinho cut a furious figure at the final whistle and later brandished photographs in his post-match press conference claiming that Lee Kang-in and Cristian Romero should both have been sent off.
The first half had been a tight, scrappy affair with little goalmouth action. The most contentious moment came when Bellingham went down under a challenge from Romero, who trod on the England midfielder's leg. Bellingham was initially booked, but after a VAR intervention the card was switched to the Atletico defender. Lee Kang-in's heavy tackle on Federico Valverde also escaped punishment before half-time.
Diego Simeone's side now sit second with 16 points, five behind Barcelona and one ahead of Real Madrid, who have suffered their second defeat of the campaign. For Mourinho, returning to the Madrid derby dugout for the first time since his previous spell, it was a bitter reminder of the fine margins that define this fixture.
Sources
- https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/9/20/atletico-madrid-beat-10-man-real-madrid-2-1-in-feisty-la-liga-derby
- https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/20/atletico-madrid-real-madrid-la-liga-match-report
