Real Madrid went into the international break with an embarrassing loss, and they’ve come out of it with one that stings even worse. They’ve fallen 2-1 at home to cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid, who turned in a spectacular performance at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid final score: 3 things we learned in Atléti’s 2-1 win
Atlético Madrid lost their biggest stars this summer while Real Madrid reloaded with more Galacticos, but the better-balanced Rojiblancos were the stronger side on Saturday.
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Atléti began with a bang, taking advantage of some woeful set piece defending in the tenth minute to take the early lead. It’s not clear exactly why nobody bothered picking up Tiago from Koke’s corner, but neither the defense nor the goalkeeper covered themselves in glory as the midfielder glanced his header just inside the near post.
Fortunately for the hosts, however, their attack was in fine fettle. Real were back on level terms within 15 minutes, with Cristiano Ronaldo winning a (weak) penalty against Guilherme Siqueira and sending Miguel Moya the wrong way for the equalizer. And Real could have easily had more than the one goal in the first half -- Moya produced some brilliant stops and Karim Benzema managed to blow a one-on-one by producing one of the worst first touches in the history of football. Despite their promising start, Atlético were being overrun at the break.
The second half was less thrilling. Atléti were more defensively sound and the hosts didn't find it so easy to carve them open. They had to throw bodies forward to find a winner, and eventually over-committed. Diego Simeone brought in fresh legs to man the wings just after the hour mark, and it was a game-changing decision. The introduction of Arda Turan and Antoine Griezmann for Gabi and Raul Jimenez opened up the match, eventually leading to a go-ahead goal for the Rojiblancos.
Raul Garcia set up Turan for the goal with a dummy, letting a square ball from the right flank find the Turkish star at the top of the box, but there was plenty of work left to do. His shot was perfectly placed to the far post, giving Iker Casillas little chance to make a stop.
Despite all of the attacking talent they had on the pitch, Real Madrid had no answer for their rivals. During the dying minutes of the match, Atléti looked like the more likely team to score and were completely comfortable at the back, never seeming threatened.
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3): Iker Casillas; Fábio Coentrão, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Álvaro Arbeloa (Raphael Varane 77'); Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez; Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale (Isco 72'), Karim Benzema (Javier Hernandez 64').
Goals: Ronaldo (penalty 26’)
Atlético Madrid starting lineup (4-4-2): Miguel Moya; Guilherme Siqueira, Miranda, Diego Godin, Juanfran; Koke, Tiago, Gabi (Arda Turan 61'), Raúl Garcia, Mario Mandzukic (Mario Suarez 78'), Raul Jiménez (Antoine Griezmann 64').
Goals: Tiago (10’), Turan (77’)
Three Things
- Iker Casillas is done. Saint Iker is a Real Madrid stalwart. His debut was 15 years ago, he's closing in on 700 appearances and he captained the club to La Decima. Trying to bench him two years ago arguably cost Jose Mourinho his job as Real's manager. But now things are different. Casillas is (and has been for some time) a shadow of his former self, and when Tiago scored in the tenth minute the home crowd whistled at their long-term keeper, hoping to see him replaced with summer signing Keylor Navas. When a player like Casillas loses the fans, he's in real trouble. If Navas isn't the undisputed starter by Christmas it would be a surprise.
- The Raul Jiménez experiment goes awry. Atlético Madrid fielded a 4-4-1-1ish system using Raul Jiménez behind Mario Mandzukic up top. In theory, Jimenez was supposed to drop back into the space between Real's midfield and defense, where they're most vulnerable. In practice, he was completely nullified by Toni Kroos, who before this match looked exactly like what he is -- an attacking midfielder getting pushed deep by other players. Today, however, he dealt with Jiménez with absolutely no fuss.
That could be a sign that Kroos is learning how to adapt his game to a deeper role, but it's more likely that Jiménez, 23 and with three Atléti appearances to his name, simply wasn't ready to contribute at this level. And with Diego Simeone's team relying on cohesion above all else, Jiménez's rough game had an impact across the board -- replacing him with Antoine Griezmann gave the visitors the impetus to re-take the lead.
- Has Thibaut Courtois been replaced? Three years ago, Atlético Madrid recovered from the sale of young goalkeeper David de Gea by bringing in a Belgian prospect on loan. Thibaut Courtois blossomed into one of the world's top young players under Diego Simeone's tutelage, but now he's back at Chelsea.
In response, Atléti signed two players -- 30-year-old Miguel Ángel Moyà from Getafe, and 21-year-old Jan Oblak from Benfica. Oblak was expected to become the starter, but he'll have trouble getting into the team after yet another excellent performance from the man who was signed to be his insurance policy. A superb save from Gareth Bale was his highlight of the night, and he didn't put a foot wrong despite enormous pressure in the first half. Standing up to Real Madrid when they're in full flow is impressive work no matter how you slice it.
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