Atlético Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a fractious La Liga derby, with Jonathan DavidâÂÂs second-half strike proving decisive after Dean HuijsenâÂÂs dismissal left Los Blancos with ten men for the remainder of the match, according to The GuardianâÂÂs match report.
Atlético punish Huijsen dismissal as David seals derby win
The turning point came shortly after the interval when a long ball from David Hancko sent Giuliano Simeone racing into the area, where Huijsen dragged him down. Referee Miguel ÃÂngel Ortiz pointed to the spot and, after a VAR review to reassess the card colour rather than the penalty itself, sent Huijsen off. ÃÂlex Grimaldo converted from the spot to put the hosts in front.
David doubled the lead soon after, turning in SimeoneâÂÂs low cross from six yards after Lee Kang-in had worked the ball to the Argentinian on the right. Antonio Rüdiger pulled one back late on with a header from a dead ball, sparking a brief rally that Atlético held off. Thibaut Courtois produced a fine save to deny Cristian Romero, while Ibrahima Konaté cleared off the line from Julián ÃÂlvarez as Real searched for a leveller that never came.
| Period | Event | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Second half | Penalty scored / red card | ÃÂlex Grimaldo (pen); Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid, sent off) |
| Second half | Goal | Jonathan David |
| Late | Goal | Antonio Rüdiger |
A fractious derby with Mourinho back at Real Madrid
It was José MourinhoâÂÂs first derby back in charge of Real Madrid, and it ended in defeat. According to the Guardian, it was 13 years since Mourinho and Diego Simeone had last met in this fixture, on the night Atlético won the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabéu. This one was similarly heated, with repeated confrontations, a card reversed for Jude Bellingham after a VAR review, and both AtléticoâÂÂs goalkeeper coach and RealâÂÂs assistant sent off at half-time.
Atlético go into the coming weeks with momentum after a run that already included a recent win over Real Sociedad, while Real Madrid will look to respond following their previous victory over Rayo Vallecano as the title picture continues to take shape.
Managers react after a heated derby
Simeone described derby week in Madrid as carrying a special energy and celebrated wildly at the final whistle. Mourinho, by contrast, arrived at his press conference with images of two incidents he believed should have produced red cards against Atlético, involving Lee Kang-in and Cristian Romero. He argued that those moments, rather than his own teamâÂÂs performance, were central to the match.
The GuardianâÂÂs report also raises questions over how Huijsen conceded the penalty and red card that shaped the contest, and over how passive Real became once reduced to ten men. Kylian Mbappé was barely involved after MourinhoâÂÂs double substitution failed to change the pattern of the game.
