Real striker Killian Mbappe’s second half equalizer cancels Julian Alvarez’s penalty against Atletico in the Madrid Derby.
Kylian Mbappe scored in their first derby against Atletico Madrid as Real Madrid fought back for a 1-1 draw and maintained a slim lead in the Spanish league.
Julian Alvarez advanced Atletico from a penalty spot in the 35th minute on Sunday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The kick was awarded after the judge was called to review the challenge by Samuel Reno’s Aurelien Chuameni.
Mbappe was equal in the 50th minute for the hosts who remained one point ahead of second-place Atletico in the rankings after Jude Bellingham latched into a blocked effort to get home.
When Madrid searched for a second goal, Bellingham hit a crossbar on the header, and Atletico goalkeeper Jan Orbak made a save to deny Rodrigo, Vinicius Junior and Mbappe.
“We knew how to stick there and we had a chance,” Alvarez said. “We’re in the fight and we’ll stay to the end.”
Atletico, which spent the big on buying Alvarez and other reinforcements last summer, is looking to add to the league title in 2021 and 2014 under manager Diego Simeone.
They have won 19 of their previous 21 games in all competitions, arrive in great form, scored 15 goals in 23 matches, and have the best defensive power in Europe’s top five leagues. It has been shown.
Despite pausing and losing defensive stubborn Robin Le Normande on Saturday, Simeone’s side once again became stiff and stiff in the back, and Real’s great offense, unable to create a single shot on target in the first half It made me irritate.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti quickly accepted that it was two half games. “We controlled the second half well. We scored and had a chance. We played a very good second half. We were different in the first half. We were very slow and offensive enough. It wasn’t.
“The penalty affected the team. After and before the penalty, we were playing very slow. We didn’t take advantage of the field. In the second half, we were in the field. “Opening it, making it wider and taking advantage of it. It created a lot of problems in the second half,” he said.
The injury led Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to rely on the backline between Lucas Vazquez, regular midfielder Chuameni, youth players Raul Asensio and Fran Garcia.
It was a reckless stretch of his boots by Chomeni that ended up stumbling over Reno, but VAR was still needed to intervene to award the kick.
Former Manchester City striker Alvarez gently stroked the penalty along the way as Thibaut Côtezia jumped to the left.
Antoine Griezmann once again showed his great value to Atletico with precision passing even under obsession. The French midfielder placed two fully weighted balls that left Alvarez and Reno in good position to get down the shot in the area, but both of them ruined the opportunity with clumsy touches.
Rodrigo caused a Madrid comeback shortly after halftime, dribbling Reno past Javigaran and Reno on the right, sliding the ball into Bellingham in the center of the box.
Bellingham’s frayed shot hit the defender and fell to Mbappe, who missed the first Atletico Derby of the season (a 1-1 draw in September) due to injury.
Madrid moved forward looking for a second goal with Atletico rattles. Vinicius dribbled to the left and scooped the ball for Bellingham.
Simeone changed both the fullbacks at Reinildo and Nahuel Molina on the 63rd, but Oblak still had to come to Atletico’s rescue three times.
“In the first half, we played very well,” Simeone said. “In the second half, they scored quickly and hit the bar, which was very intense.
“Twenty minutes into the second half, we had the opportunity too… Julian (Alvarez) slid one (Marcos) several times. Finally, it was a draw (but) that both teams were able to win the game. I thought I could do it.”
Barcelona is third, five points behind Madrid ahead of their trip to Sevilla on Sunday.
