PHOTOS: Atletico Madrid stun Real Madrid 2-1 in fiery Madrid derby

Atletico Madrid struck twice in the second half to beat 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 on Sunday, with Dean Huijsen’s red card proving the turning point in a fiercely contested Madrid derby.

The victory at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano lifted Atletico to second in LaLiga, while Real Madrid slipped to third heading into the international break.

The derby was goalless at half-time, with both sides struggling to create clear chances in a tense opening period.

Real appeared to have survived Atletico’s pressure until the game changed dramatically seven minutes after the restart.

Huijsen was shown a red card after bringing down Giuliano Simeone as the Atletico forward raced onto a long ball inside the penalty area.

Following a VAR review, the referee awarded Atletico a penalty and dismissed the Real defender for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Alejandro Grimaldo made no mistake from the spot in the 53rd minute, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way to give Atletico the lead.

Real coach Jose Mourinho responded with substitutions, bringing on Yan Diomande and Antonio Rudiger as his side tried to cope with playing a man down.

But Atletico quickly exposed the numerical advantage.

Six minutes after Grimaldo’s penalty, Simeone broke down the right and delivered a low cross into the area, where Jonathan David arrived to fire Atletico 2-0 ahead.

The goal continued David’s impressive start to life in LaLiga, giving him three goals in his first three appearances for Atletico.

Real Madrid struggled to find a response as Atletico controlled the game, although the hosts missed opportunities to put the contest beyond doubt.

Courtois kept Real alive with a strong save to deny Cristian Romero, while another Atletico attack ended with Real defenders scrambling to prevent a third goal.

Real finally found a lifeline in the 89th minute when Rudiger rose highest to head Bernardo Silva’s free-kick past Jan Oblak.

The late goal set up a nervous finish, but Atletico held firm through seven minutes of added time to secure the derby points.

The defeat leaves Real Madrid third with 15 points, while Atletico move into second (16) behind Barcelona (21).

Before today’s 2–1 Atlético Madrid win over Real Madrid, Atlético’s previous LaLiga victory over Real Madrid was on September 27, 2025, when they won 5–2 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

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