Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid starred in another great match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. The first Madrid derby of the season arrived on matchday 7 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 and deservedly went in favor of the 'colchoneros' with a historic thrashing (5-2).
Diego Simeone and Xabi Alonso put their best available players on the field, with the presence of Jude Bellingham being the main novelty for the 'merengue' team, while the 'Cholo' took a risk by placing Alexander Sorloth from the start alongside Julián Álvarez.
The match was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with Madrid suffering terribly in defense, especially on Dani Carvajal's side, and Atlético also showing fragility at the back, very vulnerable to the speed of Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr.
After a vibrant first half, which ended in a draw (2-2), the quality and hierarchy of a Julián Álvarez in a state of grace prevailed in the second half. The 'Spider' scored two goals and Antoine Griezmann scored the fifth to leave Madrid without an unbeaten record and, perhaps, without the leadership if FC Barcelona defeats Real Sociedad at MontjuïcReal Sociedad at Montjuïc this Sunday (18:30 CEST).
A superior Atlético exposed Real Madrid's defense in the first half
Atlético was clearly superior in the first 45 minutes, completing up to 8 shots (3 on goal), compared to only 3 for the 'blancos' (2 ended in goals). The 'colchoneros' found it easy to launch crosses from the right with Koke and Nico González, while Julián did the same by dragging marks to a somewhat erratic Sorloth.
The Norwegian missed an incredible one-on-one in the 2nd minute, wasting a great pass into space by dozing off, allowing Militao to anticipate when the striker had everything to define at point-blank range. The Brazilian injured his ankle in the action and, although he lasted until halftime, he had to be replaced by Asencio.
After ten initial minutes of 'rojiblanco' siege, Robin Le Normand made it 1-0 in the 14th minute, heading in a cross from Gio Simeone, anticipating the Madrid center-backs. Xabi Alonso's team reacted in the 25th minute thanks to a remarkable assist from Arda Güler for Mbappé. Both put together a lethal one-two, culminating in the '10's' finish against Oblak.
Without deserving it, Madrid reached the equalizer and, in the 36th minute, an error by Le Normand allowed Vinicius to break down the left and assist Güler to make it 1-2. Atlético was more on the field, but the 'merengue' effectiveness prevailed at the Metropolitano.
Despite the blow, the 'colchoneros' continued to attack and soon reached the equalizer. Sorloth scored in the 42nd minute with a header, but the goal was disallowed for a handball by Lenglet after the shot. The Norwegian would have his revenge in the 45+3', this time anticipating Dean Huijsen to score a lethal header, unstoppable for Courtois, after a cross from Koke.
Hancko repeated the maneuver in the 45+6', with another cross that the '9' of 'Aleti' barely missed. Before the 2-2, Julián had sent a remarkable shot from the edge of the area against the post. Thus, the derby ended in a draw in a vibrant first half.
Exhibition by Julián Álvarez and thrashing by Atlético in the second half
After the break, Atlético regained the lead thanks to a penalty scored by Julián Álvarez. The referee Javier Alberola Rojas noticed a high leg from Arda Güler that ended up impacting Nico González's face. The Turk managed to clear the ball first, but hit his opponent and the action was sanctioned as dangerous play.
With the 3-2, Madrid's defense completely collapsed. Courtois' saves prevented a greater difference, while Xabi Alonso opted to remove Güler and Carvajal to put on Camavinga and Mastantuono. The Tolosarra hoped to regain some control in the center of the field, but the 'colchoneros' continued to do damage.
In the 64th minute, Julián once again showed his remarkable striking ability, scoring a great goal from the edge of the area after a foul by Camavinga. The Argentine had already warned with another free kick from the left minutes before and, on this occasion, he beat Courtois' resistance with a tight shot. The Belgian managed to touch the ball, but it entered the net after grazing the post.
Griezmann closed a historic 'little hand' in added time
In the final stretch, Atlético fell back after the entry of Connor Gallagher for Sorloth, but without suffering too much against a Real Madrid without ideas and very disorganized. The entry of Rodrygo for a totally disappeared Bellingham did not bring any improvement to the 'merengue' team, which left the Metropolitano thrashed and with many doubts in defense.
The 'blanco' defense was clearly surpassed by an Atlético that did damage when it wanted with the high pressure and crosses into the area. The 'colchonero' midfield was also clearly superior, with Koke and Pablo Barrios imposing conditions against Tchouaméni and Valverde.
To add insult to injury for the Madrid team, Antoine Griezmann, assisted by the recently entered Álex Baena in added time, closed the 'little hand' with a remarkable finish against Courtois in the 90+3. This is the first time in 75 years that Atlético has scored 5 goals against their biggest rival in LaLiga.
In 90 minutes, Madrid conceded more goals than in the first six matchdays of La Liga. A month before the first Clásico of the season against Barça, Xabi Alonso is left very touched for the future, in a match where his initial plan and the changes made in the second half failed miserably. And beware, this is a result that could easily send the Tolosarra to the street.
Match details: Atlético de Madrid 5-2 Real Madrid
- Atlético de Madrid, 5: Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Hancko (Galán, min. 83); Giuliano (Molina, min. 90+2), Barrios, Koke, Nico González (Griezmann, min. 83); Julián Álvarez (Baena, min. 90+2), Sorloth (Gallagher, min. 66).
- Real Madrid, 2: Courtois; Carvajal (Camavinga, min. 59), Militao (Asencio, min. 46), Huijsen (Gonzalo, min. 89), Carreras; Tchouaméni, Valverde; Bellingham (Rodrygo, min. 70), Güler (Mastantuono, min. 59), Vinicius; Mbappé.
- Goals: 1-0, Robin Le Normand (min. 14); 1-1, Kylian Mbappé (min. 25); 1-2, Arda Güler (min. 36); 2-2, Alexander Sorloth (min. 45+2); 3-2, Julián Álvarez (min. 51); 4-2, Julián Álvarez (min. 64); 5-2, Antoine Griezmann (min. 90+3)
- Referee: Javier Alberola Rojas. Booked Clément Lenglet, Nico González, Alexander Sorloth, Giuliano Simeone and Connor Gallagher for Atlético de Madrid. For Real Madrid, he cautioned Arda Güler and Raúl Asencio. He sanctioned a penalty by Arda Güler on Nico González in the second half.
- Stadium: Riyadh Air Metropolitano
- Incidents: match corresponding to matchday 7 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26.