Real Madrid moved within three points of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after a hard-fought 1-1 draw against fierce rivals Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos and their neighbours are still yet to lose a domestic match this term.
A cagey first-half saw both sides limited to half-chances. The visitors struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities and resorted to long shots. Meanwhile, the hosts only threatened the Real Madrid goal once, through Julian Alvarez.
As the match looked like it was destined to end in a draw, the visitors sparked into life with an Eder Militao goal shortly after the hour mark. Vinicius Jr. broke free down the left flank and chipped the ball to the back post, where Militao was waiting to thump home via a deflected effort.
It was the first time Diego Simeone’s men had conceded a home league goal this season, and it was almost enough for Carlo Ancelotti’s talented squad to escape the Wanda Metropolitano with all three points. Substitute Angel Correa bundled in a late equaliser as the spoils were shared in the end. Below are the player ratings and highlights from a heated encounter in the Spanish capital.
Match Highlights
Militao opens the scoring
Correa levels it up
Atletico Madrid Player Ratings
Jan Oblak – 7/10
Was largely untested in the first half before being alert to deny a low Bellingham drive. The Slovenian continues to be a man-mountain in the Atletico goal. Had no chance to keep out Militao’s opener due to a deflection. Made an impressive stop to deny Vinicius Jr in the final 20 minutes.
Nahuel Molina – 5/10
Did the job he was asked to do against the menacing Vinicius Jr. Molina only lasted 45 minutes as he was replaced at half-time by the veteran midfielder Koke.
Robin Le Normand – 6/10
Proved exactly why the Spanish giants snapped him up shortly after Euro 2024. Le Normand was composure personified up against some of the best attackers in world football. Wasn’t at fault for the goal. Looked a bit shaky after his team conceded.
Jose Maria Gimenez – 7/10
Marshalled the backline well as he always does. Slightly fortunate not to have been punished for a slight slip inside his own penalty area. Gimenez partnered Le Normand well, as Simeone’s defensive plan was almost executed to perfection.
Reinildo – 6/10
Didn’t venture too far forward as the home team looked to remain solid at the back. Showed a great understanding of his role while picking up various Real Madrid runners on the left side of Atleti’s backline.
Rodrigo De Paul – 7/10
As industrious as ever, De Paul was never caught lacking in the midfield as he protected the defensive line with everything he had. The Argentine had little impact in possession but still played a big part.
Marcos Llorente – 5/10
Llorente proved just how capable he is at the defensive side of the game after previously playing as a right-back for Simeone. The Spaniard put in a wonderful shift in the middle of the park, constantly tracking attacking runners into the box. Had performed well until receiving a late red card.
Conor Gallagher – 6/10
In his first taste of the Madrid derby, the Englishman held his own against a top-class Real Madrid engine room. Gallagher is always hard-working but didn’t have a huge impact going forward.
Julian Alvarez – 6/10
Alvarez was given a difficult task as he was positioned on the left-hand side of Atleti’s frontline when defending and looked to drift inside when his side had the ball. The majority of his work was done heading towards his own goal. Had his side’s biggest chance in the opening 45 minutes, but couldn’t beat Courtois from a tight angle.
Antoine Griezmann – 5/10
Everyone is well aware by now that Griezmann is one of the best forwards in Europe. Unfortunately for Simeone and his team, the France international was often dragged into deeper positions and struggled to get close to his partner Sorloth.
Alexander Sorloth – 5/10
Sorloth spent the majority of the match as an isolated figure, as the tip of the home team’s attack. When given the chance to hold the ball up, the ex-Crystal Palace man did well to occupy several Real Madrid defenders and drag his team up the pitch.
SUB – Koke – 6/10
Injected some much-needed urgency to the home team’s play after being introduced for the second-half. Koke showed his experience and leadership abilities by calming down a rather nervous-looking Atletico Madrid side by playing safe and clever passes.
SUB – Samuel Lino – 5/10
Dropped into a wing-back role after replacing Sorloth. Lino was brought on to keep the away side at bay, but he was powerless to stop Militao’s goal. Fared better when his side were constantly attacking in the final 10 minutes.
SUB – Angel Correa – 7/10
Was more lively than Sorloth and scrambled in a late equaliser for the home team to rescue a point.
SUB – Javi Galan – N/A
Struggled to get into the game as Simeone’s late substitutions caused some confusion in the Atletico Madrid system.
SUB – Rodrigo Riquelme – N/A
Didn’t have the desired impact as the hosts struggled to adapt to the late changes made by their manager.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois – 6/10
It was a quiet night for the Belgian shot-stopper until the final 10 minutes. The defensive unit in front of him limited Atletico to very few chances, with the majority of Courtois’ work coming from long-range efforts.
Dani Carvajal – 5/10
Caught in no man’s land on a couple of occasions as he was stuck between inverting into midfield and tracking the runner on the wing. Carvajal was solid in possession but had a difficult night without the ball.
Antonio Rudiger – 6/10
Was beaten far too easily by Alvarez in the first-half but was bailed out by Courtois’ low save. Rudiger regained his composure and had a relatively quiet game after that point. Could have tracked Correa’s run better for the last-gasp goal.
Eder Militao – 8/10
Broke the deadlock when the game looked destined for a stalemate. His well-taken volley was too powerful for Oblak to deny. The Brazilian defender was assured and confident in his work in front of Courtois as well.
Ferland Mendy – 6/10
Made a couple of key blocks when the hosts looked threatening from long range. Mendy didn’t have too much to deal with until a late barrage from the home side.
Federico Valverde – 7/10
The energetic Uruguayan popped up in almost every position imaginable, whether it be in the middle of his own box to block an opposing player’s shot, or galivanting up the right wing to provide additional attacking support.
Luka Modric – 5/10
Walked the tight-rope after picking up a first-half booking for a late challenge on Gallagher. His passing and intelligent movement haven’t slowed down, although the Croatian certainly tired in the latter stages.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 6/10
A routine evening in the middle of the park for the French international. His composed passing kept playing ticking along as he allowed the more attack-minded midfielders to get forward and threaten the opposition’s goal.
Jude Bellingham – 6/10
Many expected him to take up an advanced role with Los Blancos’ lack of a recognised number nine, but Bellingham was often seen drifting into deeper positions to pick the ball up from the defence to start attacking moves.
Rodrygo – 6/10
Rodrygo was the closest thing Real Madrid had to a traditional centre-forward throughout the derby, as he often drifted into the number nine role with Valverde overlapping constantly on the right. Struggled to have a significant impact inside the Atleti penalty area.
Vinicius Jr – 7/10
Along with his compatriot, Vinicius Jr. was burdened with a lot of the attacking responsibility in Kylian Mbappe’s absence, just as he did in the previous season. Drifting inside and using his direct dribbling ability, the Brazil international caused many problems for the opposition and had defenders on their toes throughout.
SUB – Lucas Vazquez – N/A
Failed to help to see out the match in the closing stages, although barely touched the ball after replacing Modric.
SUB – Endrick – N/A
Brought on with just a few minutes left in the game. The youngster almost sealed the victory with a powerful effort after immediately flying into a brave tackle.
SUB – Fran Garcia – N/A
Another late arrival who was given little time to show what he could do.
Man of the Match
Eder Militao
It’s hard to look past the goalscorer for the away side when naming the Player of the Match. Eder Militao fired home a vital goal that could really kick-start Real Madrid’s title defence as they looked to capitalise on Barcelona’s slip-up against Osasuna.
The centre-back’s incredible speed and awareness meant he didn’t find himself in too many challenging defensive positions, and he took his goal well. Marcos Llorente had a strong game but just missed out on the award after being dismissed in the dying stages for a poor challenge.