Atletico Madrid edge Real Madrid 2-1 to claim derby victory

Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the derby at Riyadh Air Metropolitano, moving them up to second place in the Spanish league.

Alex Grimaldo converted a second-half penalty before Jonathan David added Atletico’s second. Antonio Rudiger pulled one back for Real Madrid late on, but it was not enough to prevent Atletico from taking all three points.

The result leaves Atletico on 16 points, five behind leaders Barcelona. Real Madrid remain third on 15 points.

Cautious first half

Real Madrid started with an attacking trio of Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, but both sides approached the opening half cautiously.

The first significant chance came in the 20th minute, when Aurelien Tchouameni struck a powerful effort over the crossbar.

Arda Guler went close again in the 39th minute with a fierce shot, but Jan Oblak produced an excellent save to keep Atletico level.

Real Madrid also appealed for red cards to Lee Kang-in and Cristian Romero during a first half in which neither side was able to break the deadlock.

Atletico take control

The match changed shortly after the restart. Julian Simeone broke clear in the 49th minute, but Dean Huijsen brought him down. The Real Madrid defender was shown a straight red card and Atletico were awarded a penalty.

Grimaldo kept his composure from the spot in the 52nd minute, sending the ball to Thibaut Courtois’ left.

The penalty extended Courtois’ difficult record in such situations: he had failed to save 15 of the last 16 penalties taken against him.

Atletico doubled their advantage six minutes later. Simeone delivered a cross in front of goal and Jonathan David finished from close range to make it 2-0.

Courtois prevented Atletico from adding a third in the 65th minute, making a fine save to deny Julian Alvarez’s header.

Real Madrid were presented with an opportunity to reduce the deficit in the 76th minute after a defensive error, but Oblak stopped Diomande’s attempt.

Rudiger eventually gave Real Madrid hope in the 89th minute, heading home from inside the penalty area after Bernardo Silva delivered a free-kick.

The late goal could not spark a comeback, however, and Atletico Madrid held on to complete the derby win.