Atletico Madrid edge past 10-man Real Madrid to take second in LaLiga

Atletico Madrid climbed above Real Madrid into second place in LaLiga after securing a 2-1 derby win at the Metropolitano on Sunday, with Dean Huijsen’s red card proving the decisive moment.

The match was goalless at half-time, despite Real’s frustration with several refereeing decisions. They appealed for Atletico defender Cristian Romero to be sent off after his studs caught Jude Bellingham, but a VAR review resulted in the Argentine receiving only a yellow card.

Real’s situation changed soon after the restart when Giuliano Simeone went down in the penalty area following a challenge from Huijsen. After another VAR check, the Real defender was shown a straight red card, leaving Jose Mourinho’s side to play the rest of the match with 10 men.

Atletico took advantage from the resulting penalty. Alejandro Grimaldo’s spot-kick was initially saved by Thibaut Courtois, but the home side reacted first and converted the rebound to move ahead.

The advantage was doubled six minutes later as Atletico exploited their numerical superiority. Giuliano Simeone drove forward down the right and delivered a cross into the area, where Jonathan David finished to make it 2-0.

The goal was the Canada international’s third in as many LaLiga appearances.

Real found it difficult to build a sustained response after falling two goals behind. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior had limited influence on the derby, while Vinicius Junior was replaced by Yan Diomande shortly after Huijsen’s dismissal.

Courtois prevented the deficit from growing with further saves, keeping Real within reach of a result as Atletico looked to protect their lead.

The visitors eventually reduced the margin in the 89th minute. Antonio Rudiger rose to head in from Bernardo Silva’s free-kick, giving Real a chance of rescuing a point.

Atletico, managed by Diego Simeone, held on through the closing stages to claim a victory that moves them to 16 points. They are five points behind leaders Barcelona.

Real remain third on 15 points and are now six points adrift of Barcelona. The defeat was their second in LaLiga this season.