Atletico Madrid stunned city rivals Real with a 5-2 victory, their first five-goal tally in the derby for nearly 75 years.
It was only the fourth time Atletico had scored at least five in a Madrid derby, the last occasion being a 6-3 win in November 1950. The result ended Real’s unbeaten start to the season after six consecutive La Liga wins and a Champions League triumph against Marseille.
Robin le Normand’s early header put Atletico ahead before Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler turned the game in Real’s favour. However, Alexander Sorloth struck just before half-time to level the contest 2-2.
After the restart, Julian Alvarez converted a penalty and then curled in a sublime free-kick to put Atletico firmly in control. Antoine Griezmann sealed the rout with a stoppage-time strike, sparking wild celebrations at the Metropolitano.
The victory extended Diego Simeone’s unbeaten La Liga run against Real to six matches, a statistic that underlined Atletico’s recent resilience in the derby. An emotional Simeone, who admitted the season’s start had been tough, said: “There are a lot of emotions inside. The season started off difficult and there’s a lot of effort from a lot of people that you don’t see, and it’s been wonderful.”
Real manager Xabi Alonso conceded his side were below par. “The explanation is that we did not perform at our usual level – and it has to hurt, but it has to be a pain that we use positively,” he said.
Alvarez, fresh from a hat-trick in the midweek win over Rayo Vallecano, was once again decisive, with his two goals swinging the contest in Atletico’s favour.
Despite the heavy defeat, Real remain top of La Liga, two points clear of Barcelona, while Atletico moved up to fourth, six points off the pace.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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