Real Madrid won a great game against Atlético in the derby
Real Madrid beat Atlético de Madrid 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, for date 29 of LaLiga 2025/2026. Ademola Lookman and Nahuel Molina scored impressively and Vinicius (double) and Federico Valverde scored for the home team.
The local team was the first to worry, in just over 2 minutes of play. Vinícius Júnior overflowed on the left and the ball was left for Brahim Díaz, enclosed on the baseline, although with a chance to touch back. Dani Carvajal appeared at the door of the large area, who hit it with his right foot, although he fell, and forced a great response from the Argentine goalkeeper Juan Musso.
The dominance of the merengue team at that start was such that Julián Álvarez and Giuliano Simeone, two of Aleti’s main offensive figures, took balls inside the area, in the defensive zone.
Federico Valverde was about to open the scoring in the 8th minute, when he climbed the field from the right, as he did against City in the Champions League. In his offensive foray, the Uruguayan made a self-pass and hit a right cross that crashed into the visitor’s right post.
A few seconds later, Colchonero was left with the goal cry choked. Antoine Griezmann took advantage of a breakup in the White House defense and gave it to Marcos Llorente, who finished inside the area and demanded a magnificent appearance from Andriy Lunin. Purely on reflex, the Ukrainian stopped it with his left hand and completed, with the rest of his body, the containment of that ball.
Dani Carvajal climbed up the right again and launched a very good cross that Arda Güler took from the air. The Turk overhit him and the ball crossed the area and was lost centimeters from Musso’s left post in 13 intense minutes.
At 21′, Giuliano Simeone saved his goal twice, after a corner that passed all the headers and left the ball at the feet of Vinícius Júnior. From the ground, the Brazilian kicked as best he could and the ball hit the Argentine’s body, who reacted again, in a fight with his boots, to finally reject a ball that was centimeters from the goal line.
Atlético Madrid opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a goal from Ademola Lookman and a luxurious assist from Simeone. The play was born at the feet of Julián Álvarez and reached Lookman at the door of the area. The Nigerian paused and waited for Matteo Ruggeri to pass, who passed and touched back. There, in the middle of the defenders’ legs, Giuliano put his cue in and left Lookman face to face with the goal.
Without references in the area, due to injuries and the tactical disposition decided by Arbeloa, Real Madrid had a hard time generating danger. Musso’s solvency, furthermore, warded off all danger.
However, Merengue put it against the goal in the final minutes of the first half. A header from Aurélien Tchouaméni that went very close to Atlético’s right post and the saving shots from Antoine Griezmann, first, and Dávid Hancko, on two subsequent occasions, put out a fire that threatened the fence of the team led by Cholo Simeone.
Real Madrid equalized 1-1 with a penalty converted by Vinícius Júnior at 51′. The sanction came with a foul by Dávid Hancko on Brahim Díaz that referee José Luis Munuera Montero did not hesitate to mark as an infraction. The Brazilian took the run and hit it to the right of Musso, who moved to his left and could only see the ball that was on its way to the net.
Valverde, in a state of grace, made it 2-1 at 55′. The Uruguayan went to fight a ball delivered backwards and Josema Giménez went to fight very “soft”. In that cross, the ball bounced off Valverde, who remained one-on-one and hit it with the outside of his right foot, as if he were a center forward, to give it a perfect trajectory despite Musso’s desperate exit.
Atlético tied it with an epic goal from Argentine Nahuel Molina. Julián Álvarez connected in the middle of the field with the Córdoba winger and he, as he had done against Getafe, gave him a wonderful right hand that hit the right corner, to the delirium of the Colchonero team on the grass and a very particular celebration of Cholo, on the Santiago Bernabéu sideline.
When it seemed beaten by its rival’s draw, Real Madrid took it upon itself to show that it was stronger than ever. Trent Alexander-Arnold controlled from the right and crossed, low on the ground, towards Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian received it, faced the center and, in the middle of three defenders, gave it a perfect “rosca” to hit it into Musso’s far post, which flew but was made into a poster.
Julián Álvarez was about to tie the game in the 80th minute, when he unleashed his prodigious right hand from outside the area and the ball crashed into the left post of Andriy Lunin, who was also on his way to being on the poster. However, La Araña’s shot shook the goal and left the score 3-2 in favor of Merengue.
Alexander-Arnold surprised with a free kick, but Musso, with a sensational flight, saved his goal. Although Colchonero only put one player on the barrier, because the most predictable thing was a cross, the Madrid player looked for the goal. The Argentine goalkeeper could only get it out with a stretch almost towards the inside of his goal, to rebound with both hands.
In the third added minute, Alexander Sørloth won in the heights on a passed cross from Matteo Ruggeri. The Norwegian’s header was intercepted, in the air, by Lunin. Colchonero’s insistence, with a couple of shots from Julián Álvarez and the final thrust by Álex Baena, failed to defeat the Ukrainian.
In an electrifying game full of nuances, Real Madrid thus sealed its fifth consecutive victory between LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League, which allows the White House to feed its enthusiasm in both competitions and solidify the Arbeloa cycle, which had seen some shadows in recent times.
Aleti has not won at the Bernabéu since 2016
At the Santiago Bernabéu, the Madrid classic has had only one color for a decade. Since 2016, when Atlético Madrid last won at the home of its great rival, the derby in the Spanish capital has not belonged to Colchonero again.
However, in LaLiga, the last 3 matches had ended in a draw. This Sunday, March 22, Álvaro Arbeloa’s team broke that trend and won 3-2 in a match full of emotions that could have had a few more goals.
