Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are tied at a score of 1-1 at halftime in the Madrid derby, but it probably won't be that way for long. Atleti are currently playing with ten men, and they have been for quite some time. Real Madrid have, unsurprisingly, been very much on top since Atletico Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off, but haven't been able to find more than one goal.
Real Madrid Vs. Atletico Madrid, 2011 La Liga: Halftime, Atleti Just Barely Hanging On
Atletico Madrid stunned the Santiago Bernabeu with the first goal of the evening, scored by Adrian in the 15th minute. At that point in the game, Real were still settling into the game and still working on establishing their rhythm, so it would be unfair to call the goal against the run of play. Eduardo Salvio provided the assist with Diego providing an important dummy, as Adrian ran onto a ball in the box and finished at a narrow angle from ten yards. There was an appeal for offside and it was very close, but the linesman probably got the call correct.
The lead didn't last long. Courtois fouled Karim Benzema in the penalty area in the 22nd minute, denying him a clear goal scoring opportunity. Unfortunately for Atleti and the neutrals who wanted to see 11 v 11 for 90 minutes, the referee correctly granted a penalty and showed Courtois a straight red card. After a delay for a substitution, Cristiano Ronaldo converted the penalty as Sergio Asenjo - who came on for Diego - was unable to make a save.
Los Merengues piled on the pressure from then until the end of the half, amassing 70 percent of the possession, but couldn’t find a second goal. At this point, it seems completely inevitable.
For more from La Liga, including live coverage of Barcelona vs. Getafe, check out our La Liga Week 13 StoryStream. For more on Los Merengues, check out Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid. For more on the entire world of football, head over to SB Nation Soccer.
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