Atletico Madrid got off to a brilliant start in the Madrid derby, taking an early 1-0 lead for Real Madrid. Unfortunately for them and for the neutrals, They could only keep 11 men on the pitch for another seven minutes. Once Thibaut Courtois was sent off, the game completely changed and a win for Los Merengues was inevitable. It took until four minutes into the second half for them to take the lead, but once they did, the match was over as they won by a final score of 4-1.
Real Madrid Vs. Atletico Madrid, 2011 La Liga: Full Time, Red Cards Gift Los Merengues Easy Win
Adrian scored the opener with a brilliant finish off of a through ball by Eduardo Salvio in the 15th minute. It looked like we were going to have a brilliant derby to watch until the 22nd minute, when Courtois was sent off for denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity on his foul of Karim Benzema. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty and finished past Sergio Asenjo, equalizing for Real.
They found the winner in the 49th minute, as Cristiano provided Angel di Maria with a great assist. After a run down the left, Ronaldo played a low cross through the defense that fell for di Maria, who put his team up with a brilliant, unstoppable finish. Gonzalo Higuain came on as a substitute for di Maria and found a goal of his own, scoring in the 65th minute.
Atletico couldn't manage to finish with 10 men on the pitch, as Diego Godin was sent off in the 81st minute for his foul on Higuain. Ronaldo converted the penalty to complete his brace and a 4-1 win for his side.
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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