The first half was tense with many fierce tackles, but no goals were scored. The two teams mainly clashed in the midfield area, so the number of really dangerous opportunities was not many.
Atletico Madrid actively put pressure, while Real Madrid tried to exploit the speed of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. The highlight in the first 45 minutes was Cristian Romero receiving a yellow card after VAR intervened in the 38th minute.
Right at the beginning of the second half, Giuliano Simeone escaped behind Real Madrid's defense and was pulled down by Dean Huijsen in the penalty area. The Real Madrid center-back initially only received a yellow card, but VAR asked the referee to review the situation.
After checking, the referee changed his decision, drawing a direct red card for Huijsen and awarding Atletico a penalty. Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up to the 11m spot and defeated Thibaut Courtois, putting Atletico ahead 1-0.
Just 6 minutes after the opening goal, Atletico continued to take advantage of the numerical advantage. Giuliano Simeone made a cross into the penalty area for Jonathan David to rush in and finish in one touch, increasing the score to 2-0.
However, Real Madrid did not give up. After personnel adjustments, the away team rushed up to find a goal to narrow the gap. Their efforts were rewarded in the 89th minute when Rudiger jumped high to head from Bernardo Silva's assist.
However, the remaining time was not enough for Real Madrid to find an equalizer. Atletico maintained a 2-1 victory and won all 3 points in the derby.
This victory helps Atletico Madrid rise to 16 points, while Real Madrid still has 15 points.
