RismadarVoice Reporters
September 20, 2026
Atletico Madrid defeated 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 in a fiercely contested Madrid derby at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday, moving above their city rivals into second place in La Liga.
After a goalless opening half, the match changed dramatically early in the second period when Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was sent off following a Video Assistant Referee review.
Huijsen was adjudged to have brought down Giuliano Simeone near the edge of the penalty area, leaving Real Madrid to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty in the 53rd minute to give Atletico the lead.
The hosts doubled their advantage just six minutes later when Jonathan David finished from Giuliano Simeone’s delivery, recording his third goal in three La Liga appearances.
Real Madrid continued searching for a way back despite their numerical disadvantage and were eventually rewarded in the 89th minute.
Antonio Rüdiger headed home a free-kick delivered by Bernardo Silva to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and set up a tense conclusion.
Atletico, however, held firm during the closing stages to secure all three points in front of 70,514 spectators.
The encounter was physical from the opening half, with several disciplinary decisions requiring VAR intervention.
Atletico defender Cristian Romero was shown a yellow card following a challenge on Jude Bellingham after officials reviewed the incident for a possible red card.
Atletico improved significantly after the interval and finished the match with 18 attempts compared with Real Madrid’s eight.
The victory also marked Diego Simeone’s first Madrid derby triumph over Jose Mourinho, having lost all three derby encounters against the Portuguese coach during Mourinho’s previous spell in the Spanish capital.
Mourinho had previously won all six of his La Liga matches against Atletico between 2010 and 2013.
The defeat was Real Madrid’s second in seven league matches since Mourinho returned to the club.
Atletico moved one point ahead of Real Madrid following the victory, while Real remained six points behind leaders Barcelona.
Barcelona have maintained a perfect start to the league campaign, winning their opening seven matches and scoring 31 goals.
The Madrid derby result adds further significance to the early La Liga title race as Atletico seek to maintain pressure on Barcelona while Real attempt to recover ground following their latest setback.
