All eyes turned to the Spanish capital on Saturday as Atletico de Madrid ended Real Madrid's perfect start to the season with an extraordinary 5-2 victory. Scorers: Le Normand 14', Sorloth 45+3', Alva...
All eyes turned to the Spanish capital on Saturday as Atletico de Madrid ended Real Madrid's perfect start to the season with an extraordinary 5-2 victory.
Scorers: Le Normand 14', Sorloth 45+3', Alvarez 51' (P), 63', Griezmann 90+4'; Mbappe 25', Guler 36'
Heading into the match, four of the last nine Madrid derbies in LaLiga ended in a 1-1 draw. However, that was apparently never going to be the case this time around.
Ninth-place Atleti knew a victory (or even a draw) against their bitter rivals would instill some serious confidence back into their team, given Real Madrid held a perfect record at the top of the table.Â
So, naturally, the Metropolitano was ready to rock.
Le Normand opener, Mbappé leveller, magic Vini assist, Güler go-ahead goal, disallowed Lenglet goal, Sorloth equalizer.
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 27, 2025
That first half 🤯 pic.twitter.com/g0UAuNI5tl
Diego Simeone's side lunged forward with six attempts in the opening 25 minutes, all testing former Atleti goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Robin Le Normand, who in last year's Madrid derby suffered a serious head injury, rose highest and thumped home the opener as the crowd erupted.Â
However, despite Xabi Alonso's side looking shaky and defensively confused, they only needed brief moments to get back into the game.
Arda Guler first sent an inch-perfect through ball into the box for Kylian Mbappe and the Frenchman found the bottom left corner. Then, in the blink of an eye, Vinicius turned two Atleti defenders to tee up Guler for a half volley and the game was 2-1.Â
6 - Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé has scored six goals away from home in LaLiga 2025/26, at least two more than any other player on the road in Top 5 European leagues this season (Erling Haaland, 4). Star. pic.twitter.com/ciWjyvjYLI
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 27, 2025
With things all turned around, the drama still continued. Clement Lenglet thought he equalised only for VAR to rule out the goal for handball. Yet in the final seconds of the electric first half, the score did turn 2-2 thanks to an Alexander Sorloth header.
The same energy was palpable in the second half, unsurprisingly, really. Atleti came out of the gates flying after the restart, with Real Madrid again shaky in defence. A mistake in judgement then allowed the hosts to grab the lead.Â
After shining for Los Blancos, a high boot in the box from Guler handed Atleti a penalty, which Julian Alvarez comfortably converted for 3-2. Then the Argentina star, who was coming off a hat-trick in his last game out, scored a stunning free-kick beyond a diving Courtois.
Julian Alvarez, with a brace, has given Atletico Madrid a two-goal lead over Real Madrid.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) September 27, 2025
His first is from the penalty spot, and his second with a delightful free-kick. pic.twitter.com/pUMgPTlIan
With their perfect record on the line, Alsono turned to his bench, but the likes of Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono failed to ignite a spark. Jude Bellingham, who is just returning after shoulder surgery, also looked far from top form.Â
Simeone's side naturally shifted into a low block, with up to eight players lying deep in their own half. Real Madrid were frustrated by the blocked lanes, but will ask themselves what went wrong with only two shots on target throughout the match.
Then, seconds before the full-time whistle, the crowd inside the Metropolitano erupted as Antoine Griezmann coolly slotted away the home side's fifth of the game. Atleti subsequently moved to fourth and Real Madrid finally lost under Alonso. Barcelona now have a chance to move to the top of the table on Sunday.
📸 Angel Martinez - 2025 Getty Images
Category: General Sports