Atletico Madrid stun Real Madrid in derby as refereeing row deepens Mourinho doubts

Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a tense Madrid derby, with Dean Huijsen’s second-half red card after a VAR review proving decisive and leaving Real Madrid six points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.

The result lifted Atletico to 16 points and left Real Madrid on 15, while Diego Simeone’s side strengthened its position in second place.

The match was overshadowed by controversy over several first-half challenges. Real Madrid disputed the decision not to send off Cuti Romero for his tackle on Jude Bellingham, as well as Lee Kang-in’s challenge on Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid’s television channel argued that both players should have been dismissed, which would have left Atletico playing with nine men. Instead, the only red card went to Huijsen early in the second half after the referee reviewed the incident using VAR.

Both teams knew there was little room for error because of Barcelona’s perfect start to the league campaign. That caution was evident in a tense opening, with neither side committing heavily to attack.

Atletico lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, while Real Madrid used a 4-2-3-1 system with Arda Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe in the attacking line.

The home side enjoyed slightly more possession, but struggled to turn it into clear chances. Real Madrid looked more dangerous when breaking forward and attempting to exploit space.

Mbappe had a particularly quiet first half. He touched the ball only 23 times, lost possession on eight occasions and did not manage a shot on Jan Oblak’s goal.

Real Madrid’s best opportunity before the interval fell to Arda Guler, whose long-range effort in the 41st minute was saved by Oblak. Atletico went into half-time with 55% possession and the score goalless.

The balance shifted soon after the restart. Thibaut Courtois first kept out a shot from Baena, before Giuliano Simeone went down in the penalty area following a challenge by Huijsen.

The referee initially awarded a penalty, but VAR intervened and the decision was changed to a red card for Huijsen. Real Madrid were then forced to play most of the second half with 10 men.

Grimaldo took the resulting penalty, but Courtois saved it. Atletico reacted quickest to the rebound, however, and converted the second opportunity to take the lead.

Eight minutes later, Atletico doubled their advantage. Jonathan David finished a well-worked move after receiving a pass from Giuliano Simeone, increasing the pressure on a Real Madrid side that had not seriously threatened Oblak.

Mourinho attempted to alter the game with changes from the bench, but Real Madrid’s attack remained ineffective. Bellingham and Mbappe continued to have little influence as Atletico controlled the match with an extra player and a two-goal advantage.

Courtois prevented further damage by saving a Cuti Romero header, while another Atletico attempt was blocked by the visiting defence. Yann Diomande then missed the chance to make it 3-0 in the 79th minute when Courtois stopped his effort after he had gone one-on-one with Oblak.

Real Madrid finally reduced the deficit in the 89th minute when Antonio Rudiger headed in a free-kick delivered by Bernardo Silva. The goal created a tense finish, but Atletico held on to claim three points and repeat its home derby success over Real Madrid.