MADRID, Spain (BN24) — Atletico Madrid handed Real Madrid their first defeat of the season with a dramatic 5-2 victory in a gripping La Liga derby at the Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday, putting an end to their rivals’ perfect start to the campaign.
Real Madrid, led by coach Xabi Alonso, had won all six of their opening matches before the encounter, but Atletico dominated the game from start to finish. The match featured a rollercoaster of goals, with Atletico coming from behind twice to secure a memorable win.
Atletico took an early lead in the 14th minute through Robin Le Normand, who headed in a cross from Giuliano Simeone, son of Atletico’s head coach Diego Simeone. However, Real Madrid quickly responded. Kylian Mbappe leveled the score with a precise finish after cutting in from the right, and moments later, Arda Guler put Real Madrid ahead with a brilliant cross from Vinicius Junior, who outfoxed his marker to set up the goal.
Despite falling behind, Atletico showed resilience. Alexander Sorloth equalized just before halftime, heading home a cross in first-half stoppage time to make it 2-2.
The second half was all Atletico, with Julian Alvarez taking center stage. The Argentine forward, fresh off a hat-trick in a midweek match against Rayo Vallecano, converted a penalty in the 56th minute after Guler’s high boot caught Nico Gonzalez in the head. Alvarez, who had a penalty disallowed in the teams’ previous meeting, made no mistake this time, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.
Atletico’s dominance continued, and in the 69th minute, Alvarez struck again. His free-kick, despite Courtois getting a hand to it, found the back of the net to put Atletico ahead 4-2. Antoine Griezmann sealed the win with a late strike, rolling the ball past Courtois in the 84th minute to make it 5-2, much to the delight of the home fans.
Diego Simeone, visibly emotional on the sideline, praised his team for their performance after a difficult start to the season. “From the start of the game, we knew where we could hurt them… today was a very, very good performance,” Simeone said.
Real Madrid, who had come into the game with a perfect record, struggled to cope with Atletico’s high press and relentless attacking play. While Mbappe netted his eighth league goal of the season and showed his usual flashes of brilliance, the rest of the team, including Jude Bellingham, who started for the first time since shoulder surgery, couldn’t match Atletico’s intensity.
“This is a derby, and it’s a deserved defeat,” said Alonso, whose team conceded five goals for the first time in a derby since 1950. “We’re hurting.”
Atletico’s victory lifted them to fourth place in the standings, temporarily closing the gap on their rivals. “It’s a very special day, we knew how important this game was, being a derby, of course, but also because we needed the three points,” Alvarez said after the match.
With the win, Atletico brought an end to Real Madrid’s perfect run, and now Barcelona have the chance to move to the top of La Liga if they can defeat Real Sociedad on Sunday.
“Few words can console us, but tomorrow the sun will come out and we will work harder than ever,” said Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal, determined to put the defeat behind them.
